Individual Chocolate Soufflés: Chocolate Souffle Day

There's nothing more delicious than a Chocolate Souffle right out of the oven. Here's a great recipe from Sunset Magazine to celebrate National Souffle Day!

Individual Chocolate Soufflés

Prep and Cook Time: 25 minutes. You can fill the soufflé dishes up to 1 day before baking and chill them (allow up to 5 extra minutes to bake). 
Here's a helpful hint from Sunset: increase or decrease the number of soufflés with this simple formula: For each soufflé, use 1/2 tsp. butter, 1 tbsp. sugar, 1 oz. chocolate, 1 tbsp. milk, 1/2 egg yolk, 1 egg white, and a small pinch of both salt and cream of tartar.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for dishes
6 Tbsp  sugar, plus more for dishes
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (use the very best quality)*
6 Tbsp milk
3 egg yolks
6 egg whites
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

The Sunset recipe tops the soufflés with Vanilla Bean Cream, but I use fresh whipped cream or just eat as is.

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°. Generously butter six 8-oz. soufflé dishes. Sprinkle butter with sugar to coat. Put dishes on baking sheet and set aside.
Bring 1 inch of water to boil in medium frying pan. Put chocolate, milk, and 1 Tbsp butter in small metal bowl. Put bowl in water and take pan off heat. Stir occasionally until chocolate melts. Remove bowl from water, mix in egg yolks, and set aside. (You can melt chocolate in a different way, if you'd like, but this is an interesting technique and controls the heat well.)
In large clean bowl, beat egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Sprinkle in 6 Tbsp sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Whisk 1/4 of beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture. Fold chocolate mixture into remaining egg whites. Divide mixture evenly among prepared soufflé dishes and bake until set but still soft in center, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately, with whipped cream.
Serve with demitasse spoons to savor every bite.

Remember, you can fill the soufflée dishes up to 1 day before baking and chill them (allow up to 5 extra minutes to bake). 

Photo: Leo Gong, Sunset Magazine

National Chocolate Soufflé Day

Today is National Chocolate Soufflé Day. I adapted the Bon Appetit recipe for Chocolate Soufflé for Bastille Day this past year. Lovely recipe and very easy.

Here's a Link to Dying for Chocolate Bastille Day: Chocolate Souffle´ made in ramekins.

Last year Mark Bittman had a Valentine's Day Almost Fool-Proof Chocolate Soufflé. Here's the recipe and a link to the video follows.

INGREDIENTS

About 1 tablespoon butter for the dish
1/3 cup sugar, plus some for the dish
2 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, melted
3 eggs, separated
Pinch salt
• 1/4 teaspoon tartar

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter two 2-cup or one 4-cup soufflé or other deep baking dish(es). Sprinkle each with sugar, invert it, and tap to remove excess sugar.

2. Whisk the egg yolks with the all but 1 tablespoon of sugar until very light and very thick; the mixture will fall in a ribbon from the ends of the beaters when it is ready. Mix in the melted chocolate until well combined; set aside.

3. Beat the egg whites with the salt and tartar until they hold soft peaks; continue to beat, gradually adding the remaining tablespoon of sugar, until they are very stiff and glossy. Stir a good spoonful of the whites thoroughly into the egg yolk mixture to lighten it; then fold in the remaining whites, using a rubber spatula. Transfer to the prepared soufflé dishes (at this point you can cover and refrigerate the soufflés until you're ready to bake them).

4. Bake until the center is nearly set, 20 minutes for individual soufflés and 25 to 35 for a single large soufflé. Serve immediately.

Watch the  video of Mark Bittman's almost-foolproof Chocolate Soufflé

Have a great Chocolate Soufflé Day Today!