Gluten Freebird

When it comes to desserts, my preference is chocolate and if it’s chocolate, I’d like for it to be a soufflé. I crave the delicately decadent richness of puffy soufflés.

I love collapsing that puffy outer layer with spoon and filling it with whipped cream (or ice cream) and digging out the gooey filling. Even better, they’re typically gluten-free. With gggs, chocolate, and sugar, who needs flour?

But as we’ve seen on “Top Chef,” making a soufflé ain’t easy and finding a good one at a restaurant is even tougher (Central serves a tangy orange version and Pacific Dining Car has a legendary chocolate one).

So imagine my excitement to spot this little box at Balducci’s. Heavenly Souffle offers gluten-free soufflés (two per box) in chocolate, mint chocolate, raspberry, and pumpkin.

All you do is pop one into the oven for 20 minutes and out comes a fluffy, gooey, delicious soufflé in a ceramic ramekin that is perfect for a single-serving dessert. The box of two is $8, but if you consider the cost of a comparable soufflé in a restaurant, it’s fairly reasonable. Plus, you wind up with two ramekins.

The verdict? The chocolate was delicious. We spooned up some Mexican Vanilla ice cream from Max’s Best for a punch of cinnamon. The soufflé was gone in about 90 seconds. No joke.

They’re available at Balducci’s, Wegmans or online at heavenlysouffle.com.