I have a particular fondness for foods that are (relatively) easy to cook, but appear to most people as difficult and fancy. The soufflé belongs at the head of this category. Everyone seems terrified of soufflés. Fact is: the soufflé can be forgiving and easy to adapt to your needs. Below I've provided ingredients for a 2, 3 or 4-egg soufflé. Here's a perfect rule of thumb: 1 egg per person/serving. If you are cooking for 3 people, make a 3-egg soufflé! I have a pretty nice Krab soufflé recipe in my cooking pages, with more to follow.
Antonin Carâme's invention of the classic soufflé in the early 1820s was made possible by new ovens, which were heated by air drafts instead of by coal. This new technology provided the more even cooking temperature needed for a soufflé to rise properly and stay risen. Initially, Carême made his soufflés in stiff pastry casings that were not eaten. Their straight sides were the inspiration for our current soufflé dishes. He went on to create hundreds of other soufflés including the Soufflé Rothschild, which originally contained real gold and was aptly named by its creator in honor of his employer, at the time the richest man in France. It consisted of a pastry-cream base lightened with beaten egg whites and flavored with chopped crystallized fruits macerated in Danziger Goldwasser, a liquor containing suspended gold crystals. More modern recipes often substitute Kirsch or Cognac.
In the 1950s, the dessert was served as the pièce de résistance in fancy restaurants such as Manhattan's La Caravelle. Classically, the soufflé was surrounded with fresh strawberries, though there were exceptions. The Whitehall Club in Chicago doused it with zabaglione sauce (I've adapted their sauce recipe from The Vincent Price Cookbook.) Michel Roux's delicious variation contains honey and crushed macaroons in addition to the traditional candied fruit. Roux bakes his soufflés in individual ramekins and serves them topped with honey ice cream. Unadorned is also fine, although a dollop of whipped cream or half-melted vanilla ice cream is always welcome.
The Whitehall Club used a mixture of sherry and Grand Marnier, which enhanced the flavors of the dried fruits. You can substitute the liquor used in the soufflé.