This is part of my Budget Francophile series. For more articles, scroll down to the archives of recent months.
Here’s why I love this recipe (my trifecta of recipe requirements):
a) It’s delicious.
b) It’s impressive to serve.
c) It’s easy. Really.
The deliciousness of your soufflés will be mostly dependent on the quality of your chocolate. Use something high-quality, like Guittard or Divine.
First of all, you need 8 small (3 to 4 oz.) heat-proof ramekins. Those tiny Pyrex bowls with the fluted edges work well, and you can usually get those in a package of 4 at the supermarket. Or splurge and get the classic French white soufflé molds.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup, plus 1 tablespoon, sugar
2–1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2–1/2 oz. dark chocolate, plus 8 additional chunks, approximately 1 inch long, 1/2 inch wide, and 1/2 inch thick
1/3 cup warm heavy cream
2 egg yolks
5 egg whites
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Butter the 8 ramekins, then dust the insides thoroughly with the tablespoon of sugar (this step is key; your soufflés will not climb up the sides of the ramekins without the traction the sugar crystals provide). Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and set aside.
2) Melt all the chocolate except the chunks in a heavy saucepan over low heat; watch it carefully and stir it well. Add the warm cream and stir until completely combined. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the egg yolks and half of the 1/3 cup of sugar. Transfer this mixture to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
3) In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites (hopefully with a mixer, unless you’re going for biceps of steel) until frothy. Add the remaining sugar and beat until the egg whites form soft peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the next 1/3, and when the mixture is well combined, gently fold in the remaining 1/3.
4) Fill the ramekins to the rim with the chocolate mixture, dividing it evenly. Place a chunk of chocolate in the center of each and bake (on the cookie sheet) for 7 to 10 minutes, until puffy. Serve immediately with whipped cream or really good vanilla ice cream.
Here’s the fabulous news about this recipe. You can make it up through step 2, then let it sit (put the chocolate mixture in a warmish spot on your counter and put the (unbeaten) egg whites in the fridge).
Assemble the remaining ingredients and equipment on a counter, then have the rest of your fabulous dinner party. Once your soup, main course, salad, and cheese have all been consumed and your guests are regaling one another with witty repartee, slip into the kitchen and complete steps 3 and 4. It won’t take you more than 5 minutes to get them into the oven. I promise: the ‘wow’ factor is huge.