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Pressure's on again. Valentine's Day is approaching.

Any other day of the year an "I love you" would suffice as a sign of affection. On this fake holiday, love costs.

Sure you can fall back on the cliches and buy boxes of heart-shaped chocolate, roses or jewelry. Or you can really get romantic and hit the kitchen.

I know the way into my wife's heart is through food — she's a professional cook — so I have no choice. Making an entire meal is out of the question; I'm bound to stumble along the way. But I know I can make her weak in the knees with this dessert: mini-chocolate souffles.

If you're like me just hearing the name souffle scares you. It's all those slapstick movie moments where the guest makes too much noise and the puffy treat sinks, spoiling the delicate work.

But that's the movies. If you work quickly and with a gentle touch, you will end up with fluffy spoonfuls of chocolate luxury — and one appreciative date.

To make this dish, you'll melt chocolate and butter, separate eggs, whisk egg whites and fold ingredients into one another. Sounds daunting, right? It isn't.

When you melt chocolate on its own, you risk having the chocolate seize up. Here you melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler. Whisking in the egg yolk requires quick work, nothing more.

Separating eggs was something I feared — until I learned a trick that even a child could perfect. Over a bowl, crack the egg into your (quite clean) hand. Hold onto the yolk, without breaking it, while you let the whites drip into the bowl. Voila.

To whisk the egg whites, use an electric mixer. Set it to high and mix until the whites become frothy, 20-30 seconds. Once the whites are frothy, add the sugar slowly and keep mixing. Whisk the whites until they are stiff enough to form peaks — the whites stand on their own when you touch them and pull your finger out.

Folding the whites into the chocolate mixture requires an easy hand and a soft spatula — rubber is best. Remember, it's the whites that give the souffle its feathery lift so you do not want to mix the air out of it.

Rest a piece of chocolate — or several chocolate chips — on the top of the souffle before baking.

I bet the chocolate will not be the only thing that melts.

MINI CHOCOLATE SOUFFLES

Makes 2 servings

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the ramekins

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 eggs at room temperature, separated

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon semisweet or dark chocolate chips

Powdered sugar for dusting

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Butter the inside of two 4-inch ceramic ramekins or souffle cups.

In a medium metal mixing bowl add the chocolate and butter. Over a pan of simmering water place the metal bowl, stirring the butter and chocolate until melted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Lightly beat the 2 egg yolks with a fork and add to the chocolate mixture, stirring quickly to incorporate the yolks. Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, with a whisk attachment if available, beat the 2 egg whites on the highest setting until frothy, about 20 seconds. Slowly add the sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form.

Gently fold in one-third of the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture, just until incorporated. Then add the remaining egg whites and continue delicately folding them in; do not overwork.

Divide the mixture between the two buttered ramekins. Gently mound the chocolate chips in the center of each mixture. Bake 12 minutes in the center of the oven or until the souffle sets and has small bubbles on the surface.

Set the ramekins on individual plates. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on the plate if desired. Serve immediately.