When my husband Ben was away on a week-long business trip, I got a bit bored and decided to learn how to make something that I thought only restaurant professionals can make. So soufflé it was! I watched a Gordon Ramsay video, and loved how his soufflés just kept rising and rising. He called them ‘perfect love handles’, ha! But they start deflating the moment you take them out of the oven, so getting the perfect photo is difficult. The recipe itself is pretty simple, and makes me wonder why this is considered such a fancy dessert. Probably because they have to be made to order at a restaurant and it makes us feel special?
Chocolate Soufflé
Servings 8 ramekins
Ingredients
- 1/4 stick unsalted butter to coat the ramekins
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar divided, 1/4 cup to coat the ramekins (or use shaved chocolate)
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped into small pieces
- 1/6 cup heavy cream
- 1/6 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder optional
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1/8 teaspoon salt optional
- 1/3 cup water
- 8 large egg whites
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Coat the inside of the ramekins with softened butter using a pastry brush. Put some granulated sugar in one of the ramekins, cover the opening with your hand and circulate. Once the ramekin is coated with sugar, remove the excess to the next ramekin and continue this process until all ramekins are coated with sugar.
- Pour the heavy cream and milk into a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan. Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate and stir well until all of the chocolate has melted and the ingredients are well combined. This is your ganache.
- Make a double-boiler by setting a large mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water (the bottom of the bowl should not be touching the water). Place the ganache in the mixing bowl. Add the cocoa powder, espresso powder, vanilla extract, salt and water and mix until the mixture becomes very hot. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Place the egg whites in a stand mixer and whip on medium speed (Level 4) until foamy. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high (Level 8) and make a meringue, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar at a time (1/2 cup total), and whip the whites until stiff.
- Use a rubber spatula to gently fold about half of the meringue into the warm chocolate mixture. Then fold (not mix) the chocolate mixture into the remaining meringue in a standing mixer bowl. Do not deflate the batter. Don’t worry if you still see streaks of meringue in the batter.
- Use a large spoon to gently place the soufflé mixture in the ramekins and fill to about 1/4 inch below the rim of the ramekin. Run your thumb around the rim to remove the excess butter and sugar and create a small wedge.
- Place the ramekins on a baking pan (for easy transfer to and from the oven). Bake until the soufflé has risen to about 1 1/2 half-inch over the rim and starts to brown on top, about 10-11 minutes. Be careful not to overbake as they will then start to deflate even in the oven.
- Remove from the oven and dust the top with powdered sugar. Serve immediately as they will deflate as soon as you take them out of the oven.