Chocolate soufflé

Chocolate mousse is one of my favourite desserts, but I decided it was too simple to be written up for Dessert Month (melt chocolate, add egg yolks, whip egg whites, fold into chocolate). But having been too afraid to try making soufflés due to their reputation for going hideously wrong at the slightest provocation, I was surprised to find that they are actually no more complicated than a baked chocolate mousse. This also means that whether or not they rise correctly or sink when they come out of the oven, they will be no less delicious, and the fear these desserts tend to cause is really quite unfounded.



Things I have learnt from making chocolate soufflés...

Make sure the chocolate is not too hot when you add in the egg yolks, and that the egg yolks are at room temperature, otherwise the chocolate might cook the egg yolks or the mixture may split.

I made these in 250 ml ramekins and baked them for 10mins, which left them cooked on the outside but with a molten chocolatey centre. If you prefer them cooked all the way through you could increase the cooking time or use smaller ramekins.

Even though I had to photograph these before serving, they held their shape a good 15 minutes after they had come out of the oven, and they only took around 20 minutes in total to make. You could make them from start to finish after the main course is done, or prepare the mix in advance and place in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking.



Chocolate soufflés: makes three 250ml ramekins

15g butter + extra for greasing the ramekins
150g dark chocolate
50ml whole milk
3 eggs, separated
50g sugar + 1 tablespoon for dusting the ramekins
150ml of whipped cream or crème fraiche for serving

• Preheat the oven to 190°C, butter the ramekins and dust with the tablespoon of sugar
• Heat the butter, chocolate and milk in heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring until the chocolate is melted
• Add the egg yolks and beat to combine
• Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form then gradually begin adding in the sugar
• Continue whisking until stiff peak stage
• Fold in 1/3 of the whites into the chocolate mixture, followed by the final two thirds, until no streaks of white remain
• Pour right to the top of each ramekin then run a knife or finger nail around the edge to make a small indentation (this is said to help the soufflé rise)
• Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or place in the fridge until you are ready to bake them
• Serve straight from the oven with a dollop of lightly whipped cream or crème fraiche