Sydnie’s Favorite Chocolate Souffle
Okay. Listen… Andrew knows that chocolate souffle is a favorite dessert of mine. Actually it is my absolute favorite dessert. So for my birthday this year, he decided to make chocolate souffle! How sweet! And it was soooo good. He did such a great job and I had no hand in helping him, other than cleaning up afterward. This was all him and it was amazing.
Because it was so good, a week later on Christmas day he made it again for us two and my sister in law and brother in law. We found out that souffle is gluten free because our brother in law is GF. So yay for inclusive desserts! 🎉
The recipe he made is a dark chocolate souffle with grand marnier anglaise. Yum. Here’s the recipe that he got from Shared Appetite:
For the dark chocolate souffle:
1 tablespoon butter, melted, for the ramekins
1/3 cup sugar, plus a little more for the ramekins
3 eggs, yolks and whites separated
2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
pinch kosher salt
For the grand marnier creme anglaise:
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/4-1/2 teaspoon orange zest
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
Instructions for the dark chocolate souffle:
Preheat oven to 350°F. With a pastry brush, coat the inside of each ramekin (this recipe makes enough for 4 of my single serving ramekins) with the melted butter and then sprinkle with an even coating of sugar. Gently tap out excess sugar.
Beat the egg yolks with all but 1 tablespoon of the sugar (1/3 cup minus 1 tablespoon) until light and thick. You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture creates ribbons as is falls off the beaters. Mix in the melted chocolate until just combined. Make sure the chocolate is not too hot or else the yolks will cook.
Wash your beaters well (anything left on the beaters or in the bowl will prevent the egg whites from whipping correctly). Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and the cream of tartar until they form soft peaks. Continue to beat, adding in the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar, until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.
Stir a generous dollop of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture thoroughly to lighten it up. Then, very gently fold in the remaining whites using a rubber spatula. Be careful not to overmix or else the whites could deflate. A couple of streaks in the mixture is totally okay. Transfer the soufflé batter to your ramekins, almost to the brim.
Bake until the tops are golden and firm, but the soufflé still jiggles a bit when gently shaken, about 17-20 minutes. Serve immediately, topped with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar and a couple spoonfuls of the Grand Marnier Crème Anglaise directly into the center of each soufflé. If you don’t want to make the crème anglaise, feel free to leave it out or substitute a little of defrosted high-quality ice cream.
For the grand marnier creme anglaise:
Combine the milk, heavy cream, and orange zest into a small saucepan over medium-low heat until small bubbles start to pop up around the rim, about 5-7 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks until just combined. Whisk in 1/2 of the heated cream mixture, and then pour everything back into the saucepan. Stir constantly until the mixture slightly thickens, about 4 minutes. You know it’s done when the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon and when you slide your finger across the spoon, the trail you create holds its shape.
Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, which is placed inside a larger bowl full of ice. Stir your crème anglaise until it’s cooled. Transfer your bowl of crème anglaise to the refrigerator. When ready to serve, whisk in 1 tablespoon of Grand Marnier.
Any unused crème anglaise can be frozen and defrosted in the refrigerator for future soufflé adventures!