I probably say this every year: No matter what I try to do during the Valentine season, the clichés are simply unavoidable. Whether it is the heart-shaped cake mold, the red roses or pink and red confetti hearts; it’s all part of the standard, romantic expression of love.

So, let’s lean into the clichés one more time, as I show you how to make this show-stopping Soufflé with Rose Red Wine Reduction for your V-date.

This recipe will make a small portion that is enough to fill a 3-inch soufflé ramekin. But if you want a bigger soufflé, feel free to double the quantities of the soufflé ingredients. You will probably not need double the sauce quantities as the recipe for the sauce is quite generous.

It is recommended that you start by making the sauce, a day ahead of serving, because the reduction needs to chill in the fridge for 6-8 hours.

• Ingredients:
  • For Rose Red Wine Sauce:
    • 1 cup Cape Bay Red Merlot wine
    • 3/4 cup white sugar
    • A handful of red rose petals
  • For the Chocolate Soufflé:
    • 1 egg (separated)
    • 1 egg white
    • 30g dark coverture chocolate
    • 1 Tbsp butter
    • 1.5 Tbsp flour
    • 2 Tbsp sugar
    • 1 tsp unsweetened coco powder
    • Few drops of vanilla extract
    • Pinch of salt
  • For the garnish (optional)
    • A sprig of mint
    • Strawberries
    • Powdered sugar

• Method:
  • First, add the all ingredients for the sauce in a medium sized sauce pan and bring them to a boil.
  • Simmer on medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Strain out the rose petals and transfer the sauce to a jar and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. This will create a nice thick, syrupy sauce.
  • For the soufflé, start by pre-heating your oven to 200°C.
  • Brush the ramekin with soft butter and coat it with a little bit of granulated white sugar. The sugar should stick to the butter on the bottom and sides of the ramekin, creating a rough surface for the soufflé to use for rising im the oven.
  • Add the butter, flour, chocolate and coco powder to a small pan and stir the ingredients together over medium heat until they are well combined and form a paste.
  • Remove the chocolate paste from the heat and add the egg yolk, vanilla and salt to it.
  • Mix well until smooth. If it seizes up and gets lumpy, don’t worry too much, you can still have a successful soufflé once we move on to the next step.
  • Now start whipping up the egg whites with a hand mixer in a clean bowl.
  • Once they start to get very foamy, begin adding the sugar half a tablespoon at a time.
  • Keep whisking until the sugar is fully encorporated and you end up with stiff, glossy peaks.
  • Take a about a third of the fluffy egg whites mixture and mix into the chocolate paste until well combined.
  • Then add about another third and this time fold it gently into the mix to maintain the fluffy, cloud-like texture.
  • Proceed by adding the rest of the egg whites to the batter and continue to gently incorporate them until you end up with no white pockets in the batter.
  • Pour the batter in your prepared ramekin and place it in the preheated oven. Bake for 16-18 minutes.
  • Garnish with a sprig of mint fresh strawberries and a dusting of powdered sugar before pouring the rose red wine sauce onto the soufflé.
  • Indulge!