The Bottom Line: Do we seem a little puffed up today? Thereās a great reason - May 18th is National Cheese SoufflĆ© Day!
The Full Story:
Do we seem a little puffed up today? Thereās a great reason - May 18th is National Cheese SoufflĆ© Day! The word soufflĆ© first appeared in English in Louis Ude's āThe French Cookā (1813), and by 1845 was so commonly accepted that in Eliza Acton's Modern Cookery (1845) a recipe for soufflĆ© was included as just another recipe.
The name for this savory, airy cake comes from a French verb, souffler, which literally means to "blow up" or "puff up." That's the delicious alchemy that happens when custard and whipped egg whites take a leisurely nap in a hot, closed oven.And yes, "closed" is key. There's a reason soufflƩs are so often played for laughs in film and television. They're temperamental little things, prone to falling flat as a result of temperature shifts and excess vibrations.
SoufflƩs also take a goodly chunk of time to make, so if they're desired for dessert, diners are often asked to place their orders along with the main courses.
But a classic cheese soufflĆ© can be a show-stopping main course for an at-home dinner party (or holiday). The base can be made and refrigerated ahead of time, but once baked, it's best served steaming hot from the oven. It will deflate a tiny bit on the table, but youāll still score gasps from guests. Get a recipe to try HERE.