*crispy waffle*

I admit it: I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to chocolate. I love French chocolate, especially Valrhona, and will eat it whenever possible. (My favorite American chocolate is Scharffen-Berger, which I think can compete with the best of European chocolates.) However, I am also unbelievably cheap, so I don't believe in wasting an exceptional eating chocolate on just any baked good. For example, brownies and chocolate-chocolate-chip cookies benefit from a mellower chocolate such as standard semi-sweet chips because a good American brownie seems to require a bit of that sweetness. And there is too much flour in these baked goods to allow the chocolate itself to really shine. I'll stick with good ol' Ghirardelli bittersweet chips for these treats.

Souffles, on the other hand, are a different story. In a proper chocolate souffle, there is nearly nothing to compete with the flavor of the chocolate, so this is where an outstanding chocolate can really make a difference. To give it the most intense chocolate taste, it should be a bitter chocolate that has at least 70% cacao content. (For those who aren't faint of heart, gourmet chocolate manufacturers such as Dagoba, have chocolate bars with cacao content as high as 90%.) The souffle I love is traditional; it has an egg base (utilizing both yolks and whites) and some sugar, Grand Marnier and vanilla added (although the last two can be left out if all you really want is chocolate). Souffles have an unfair reputation for being difficult to make, but once you've made one, you realize that it's not difficult; it's just timing that matters-- it should be popped in the oven at once, and then when finished bakng, removed from the oven and eaten at once if you want it to maintain that grand look (it's true-- souffles deflate almost instantly once removed from the heat).

Serve it straight up if you want a head-spinning hit of chocolate. Or if that's a bit too much of an overdose, then top it with sweetened creme fraiche.

This one didn't rise as much as usual-- I think it may be because I had the rack on the lower part of the oven, rather than the middle like I usually do. But, it was good anyway.

Intense Dark Chocolate Souffle

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter, softened, and 1 tablespoon sugar (for preparing the souffle dish)
8 oz. 70% cacao content bittersweet chocolate (I recommend Valrhona, Scharffen-Berger and Dagoba, but any of your favorite eating chocolate will do)
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
8 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Have rack in the center of the oven.
Butter a 2-quart souffle dish with the 1 tablespoon butter. Make sure the butter covers every surface. Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon sugar over the entire inner surface and rim of the dish. Place the dish in the refrigerator while you prepare everything else.
Melt the chocolate with the 4 tablespoons butter in a double boiler over low heat. Remove from heat and add the Grand Marnier, salt and vanilla. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool to just warm.
In a standing mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar at medium speed for about 3-4 minutes, until pale yellow and a bit thick. Stir into the chocolate mixture.
Clean out the mixer bowl (really well) and beat the egg whites at medium-high speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat on high until it forms stiff, but not dry peaks.
Stir one-fourth of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the rest. Then transfer to the prepared souffle dish.
Bake until the souffle has risen and the center is moist but set, about 25 to 28 minutes. (You can check this by inserting a wooden skewer in the side at a 45 degree angle, and it should come out not wet, but with moist chocolate clinging to it.
Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top if you like, and serve immediately.

Folding the egg whites into the chocolate mixture with a spatula

Links:
Scharffen-Berger Chocolate
Valrhona Chocolate

Labels: recipes, the chocolatey, the sweet

posted by sheryl | 3:36 PM |

Hi, I have never bake a souffle before. Your recipe sound lovely. Can u please explain what is Grand Marnier n is there any subsitude n also for the cocoa, can i use van houten brand? Thanks.
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Half Bake 11/30/06 11:13 AM