Soufflé

When I eat Bread Pudding Soufflé I always think of the Commander's saying, "If it ain't broke, fix it anyway." Bread pudding was already near perfection, but we combined Creole bread pudding with the light texture of a meringue and ended up with the restaurant's signature dessert, the single most sought-after dish in our family's restaurant history. The whiskey sauce itself is divine but particularly so when generously poured over the piping hot soufflé. Take it from me, this is no light dessert. Make the bread pudding and the sauce in advance, the meringue just before assembling and baking.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Begin preparing this one day ahead.

At the restaurant Charlie Trotter bakes these small soufflés in thimble-shaped molds and sets them atop rounds of his own dried-fig brioche. Although he likes to use white Muscat grapes for the sauce, the recipe works well with any color or variety of grape. We used red seedless grapes, and they yielded a beautiful dark-pink sauce.

This moist orange-flavored soufflé is rich with white chocolate. Offer snifters of orange liqueur to sip alongside.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Crusty sourdough rolls and coleslaw made of shredded red and green cabbage tossed with a vinaigrette are nice with the soufflés. Afterward, have a caramel-nut tart from the bakery and cups of herbal tea.

The base for these soufflés is made with Switzerland's Toblerone chocolate, which contains honey-almond nougat. These desserts can be assembled three days ahead and frozen; just bake before serving.

Don't be nervous about making these rich and spicy soufflés — they're durable enough to be reheated. And it's normal for the puffy tops to fall when you remove the soufflés from the oven. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Cabrales is Spain's famous blue cheese. Its creamy texture and assertive flavor make this dish irresistible. And there's no fear of falling here: These soufflés can be made two hours ahead and rewarmed before serving.