Chocolate Souffles

Week 7 of the Cookbook Challenge – the theme is ‘Soft’ and the first thing that came to mind were souffles. I consulted my encyclopedia of French cooking that I have had on my shelf for over 10 years now and I can count on one hand how many times I’ve cooked a recipe from it!

Ingredients

175g plain chocolate, chopped

150g (2/3 cup) unsalted butter, cut in small pieces

4 large eggs, seperated

30ml (2 tbsp) orange liqueur

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

3 tbsp caster sugar

icing sugar, for dusting

Ingredients for the white chocolate sauce:

6 tbsp whipping cream

75g white chocolate, chopped

1-2 tbsp orange liqueur

grated rind of 1 orange

Generously butter 6 150ml ramekins. Sprinkle each with a little caster sugar and tap out any excess. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet.

In a heavy saucepan over a very low heat, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and cool slightly, then beat in the egg yolks and orange liqueur. Set aside, stirring occasionally.

Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites slowly until frothy. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed and whisk until they form soft peaks. Gradually sprinkle over the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.

Stir a third of the egg whites into the cooked chocolate mixture to lighten it, then pour the chocolate mixture over the remaining whites. Using a rubber spatula or large metal spoon, gently fold the sauce into the whites, cutting down to the bottom, then along the sides and up to the top in a semicircular motion until they are just combined. (Don’t worry about a few white streaks). Spoon into the prepared ramekins.

Bake the souffles for 10-12 minutes until risen and set, but still slightly wobbly in the centre.

To make the white chocolate sauce, put the chopped white chocolate and cream into a small saucepan. Place over a low heat and cook, stirring constantly until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the liqueur and orange rind, then pour into a serving jug and keep warm.

Dust the souffles with icing sugar and serve with the white chocolate sauce.

Whilst I don’t have photographic evidence, my souffles did infact rise, however only stayed that way for a few minutes, then deflated before I could take a photo. Oh well, I’ll have to try again one day.