Dear Mommy and Daddy,
Happy 31st Anniversary! Wishing you both many more epic years filled with love, happiness, and lots of decadent chocolate soufflés, your favorite, well Dad's favorite at least! Here's to you and thank you for setting a wonderful example for Coco and I. May we be so lucky to have a love and life like yours.
Love,
Eli
Chocolate soufflés, what a treat! As kids my parents used to take us to Morton's Steakhouse for two reasons: the bread and the chocolate soufflé! We used to dream about those little clouds of chocolate heaven (who am I kidding I still dream about it) and beg our parents to take us there. We would sit down and the first thing we'd order after asking for their bread, of course, was the chocolate soufflé- it takes at least 30 minutes to prepare and make on the spot.
Soufflés are such a delicate but gorgeous thing of beauty filled with gooey chocolate love. They take a little bit of TLC to prepare, but in the end it's all worth it once you take the first bite into that chocolate pillow. In culinary school, one of the highlights for me was learning how to make a chocolate soufflé. When I'd come home from break, my dad would beg me to make him, some, so I've become quite a little chocolate soufflé making guru. Here's my version of a perfectly perfect chocolate soufflé, so preheat your oven, gather the ingredients, and grab a seat at my table because chocolate soufflé's are on the menu.
Set oven rack in lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
Brush 6 (6-ounce) ramekins generously with soften butter, then coat with sugar. Place prepared ramekins in the freezer.
In a medium heatproof bowl, add the chocolate and butter. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch of water to a slow simmer and set the bowl on top, stirring the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine egg yolks and milk and beat until frothy. Gradually add 1 tablespoon sugar, and continue beating until ribbons form, about 5 minutes. Gently fold the yolks into the melted chocolate mixture.
Remove ramekins from freezer, set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the egg whites and lemon juice and beat on medium speed until they just hold soft peaks. Gradually add remaining ½ cup sugar and beat at high speed until whites hold a stiff peak. (**If you are using the same bowl as you did with the egg yolks, make sure to clean it out before whipping up the egg whites.)
Fold about a third of the whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten, and then add remaining whites, folding gently until blended together.
Spoon or ladle the soufflé mixture into prepared ramekins and place on a baking sheet.
Bake soufflés in preheated oven until puffed and lightly crusted on top, but still slightly jiggly in center, abut 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven, dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve immediately.
Chocolate Soufflé
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 individual servings
Ingredients:
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for preparing ramekins
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
8 large egg whites, room temperature
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Confectioners sugar for garnish
Directions:
Set oven rack in lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
Brush 6 (6-ounce) ramekins generously with soften butter, then coat with sugar. Place prepared ramekins in the freezer.
In a medium heatproof bowl, add the chocolate and butter. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch of water to a slow simmer and set the bowl on top, stirring the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine egg yolks and milk and beat until frothy. Gradually add 2 tablespoon sugar, and continue beating until ribbons form, about 5 minutes. Gently fold the yolks into the melted chocolate mixture.
Remove ramekins from freezer, set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the egg whites and lemon juice and beat on medium speed until they just hold soft peaks. Gradually add remaining 1/3 cup sugar and beat at high speed until whites hold a stiff peak.
Fold about a third of the whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten, and then add remaining whites, folding gently until blended together.
Spoon or ladle the soufflé mixture into prepared ramekins and place on a baking sheet. Bake soufflés in preheated oven until puffed and lightly crusted on top, but still slightly jiggly in center, abut 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven, dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve immediately.