It seems like whenever anyone hears the word “soufflé” they immediately think, “Oh, I could never make that.” Or “Sheesh, that’s hard.” Or even, “What a pain in the arse, that’s a lot of work to do it at the last minute.”
Well, I’m here to tell you that if you can whip egg whites, you can make a successful, lighter-than-air soufflé. And you can do the whole thing (minus the actual baking part) up to a day in advance.
This is one of my favorite soufflés: Not overly sweet, with a rich chocolate flavor, and the surprise of fresh tart raspberries at the bottom of the dish.
Be sure to use ramekins, as you need the straight sides to give the soufflés lift. Also, if you want to make them in advance, prepare the batter and fill the ramekins, then cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate them. About an hour before baking, take them out of the fridge. Remove the plastic wrap before baking.
And remember, gather the troops at the table as soon as the soufflés go into the oven. Once they come out, soufflés wait for no one. (Although they fall rather quickly, they are still scrumptious hours later, and even the next day chilled in the fridge!)

Chocolate-Raspberry Soufflés
Makes 6 soufflés
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Ingredients:
- 7 tbsp granulated sugar, plus more for coating
- 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 7 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs, separated, plus 2 egg whites
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting