Nicholas Gavin is the Culinary Creative Director of ChefSteps, where he develops recipes and is responsible for making all the food look beautiful. Nick has worked at ChefSteps for over a decade; he and ChefSteps co-founder Grant Crilly worked together at Modernist Cuisine. Nick has worked in professional kitchens both in the United States and abroad, most notably at Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain.

Nicholas Gavin

Moist and fluffy, sweet yet savory, and altogether unlike anything you’ve baked before, this pepper-flecked soufflé is one slam-dunk date-night dessert. Just pop by the grocery store for a few easy-to-find ingredients and head over to your loved one’s place. (Remember, too, you can always use our Edit Scale &amp; Units tool if you prefer to work in ounces or want to make more or fewer servings.) Forty-five minutes later, you’ll have a towering dessert that’s easy to make yet designed to dazzle.We like the way black pepper spices things up, providing a pop of heat that mingles winningly with sweet sugar and rich dairy. That said, this is definitely a savory soufflé, so we like to balance out the flavor by topping it with something sweet, like vanilla whipped cream and glazed strawberries. And feel free to swap out that pepper for other stuff—a lavender-laced soufflé, for instance, could make for a serious upgrade from that same old Valentine’s Day bouquet. Whether you use your imagination or stick closely to the steps below, you’re bound to delight that someone whose happiness means the most. And what, we ask you, could be better than that?PSST: Got chocolate fever? We get it. Our <a href="molten-chocolate-souffle">Molten Chocolate Soufflé</a> should do the trick.

Black Pepper Soufflé