Chocolate Souffle
I haven’t had time to write here lately, but I have been diligently taking pictures of the things I do want to post here, so eventually I will unleash an onslaught. In the meantime, here is a belated Valentine’s Day dessert that can be made ahead of time, stored in the fridge, and popped into the oven when “company” arrives. This kind of thing is too rich for me, but sure to please anyone who enjoys a decadent chocolate dessert. I should have filled the ramekins a bit more to get the desired “poof” of a souffle, but… well, I didn’t. So there.
- 200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (150g) unsalted butter, melted
- 6 eggs
- 3/4 cup (175g) sugar
- 1 cup (125g) flour
- (optional) pinch of fleur de sel
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees with the rack positioned in the center.
- Place the chocolate and melted butter in a heat resistant bowl. Bring a small pot with a shallow amount of water to a boil. Turn off the heat, place the bowl over top, and stir until smooth. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until they become pale and ribbony. Sift and fold in the flour, then fold in the chocolate.
- Lightly grease four medium or six small ramekins and divide the batter evenly between them. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate these until ready to bake.
- To bake, place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the top has set to a crust, but you can gently shake the ramekins and they jiggly slightly.
- Remove them from the oven, sprinkle with fleur de sel, if desired, and allow to cool slightly before serving warm. The middle should be pudding-like and the outside should be cake. Serve with coulis or whipped cream.
To make a simple coulis, puree berries in a food processor with caster sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice, then strain through a fine sieve. No cooking required.
To make a simple whipped cream, add a few tablespoons of icing sugar to 35% whipping cream in a mason jar, seal and shake until the mixture no longer ‘shakes’ because it has thickened so much. Alternatively, do this in a bowl with a whisk or electric mixer, but you cannot over whip in a jar and I enjoy the workout.