Bittersweet Cocoa Soufflé With Orange Blossom Cream Recipes

Steps:

• Butter eight 2/3-to 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups; dust with sugar, completely coating to top edge. Whisk 1/2 cup sugar, flour, and 1/8 teaspoon (scant) salt in small saucepan. Pour 2/3 cup milk into measuring cup; whisk enough milk from cup into saucepan to form thick paste (2 to 3 tablespoons), then gradually whisk in remaining milk from cup. Stir over medium- low heat until bubbles begin to form around edges of pan. Continue cooking until slightly thickened, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Add cocoa powder, remaining 2 tablespoons milk, egg yolks, and vanilla; stir until smooth, thick paste forms. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, beating on high speed until firm peaks form. Add 1⁄4 of whites to chocolate mixture; fold to blend. Add remaining beaten egg whites and chopped chocolate and fold until whites are just blended into batter.
• Divide batter among prepared ramekins; place on rimmed baking sheet. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake soufflés until puffed above rim of ramekin and toothpick inserted into center comes out with thick batter attached, about 12 minutes (15 minutes for chilled soufflés). Using spoon, form small indentation in top of each soufflé; spoon dollop of Orange Blossom Cream into indentations. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Place the oven racks in the center and bottom of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Grease the insides of four 6-ounce souffle ramekins with butter. Add a small amount of granulated sugar to the interior of one ramekin, and coat thoroughly. Repeat with the remaining ramekins by turning the sugar out from the first into the second. Place the prepared ramekins on a sheet tray.
• In a small bowl, combine the butter and flour into an evenly mixed mass. Combine the milk, salt, chile flakes, orange zest and 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a small pot. Bring to a simmer, then whisk in the butter and flour mixture until combined. Cook the mixture over a low heat until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• In a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks and add about 1/4 cup of the cooked flour and milk mixture. Whisk to combine to temper the egg yolks. Stir the chocolate into the remaining flour and milk mixture and mix until the chocolate is melted and well combined. Add the chocolate mixture to the tempered egg yolks and mix to combine and fully incorporate.
• Soak a paper towel in the vinegar and wipe out the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the egg whites to the bowl and fit the stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Beat the whites on medium-high speed, slowly adding the remaining 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continuing to beat until you have stiff, glossy peaks, about 5 minutes.
• Fold half of the egg white mixture into the chocolate base, followed by the remaining. (A few streaks of egg white is fine to remain, so as to not overmix.) Divide the mixture into the buttered and sugared ramekins, filling about three-quarters of the way. Gently tap the ramekins once on the sheet pan to evenly distribute the filling. Run your thumb around the rims of the ramekins to level and clean the edges. Bake, turning halfway through, until the edges are set but the centers are jiggly, about 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and place each ramekin on a plate. Garnish with a dusting of powdered sugar. Create a pocket in the center of each souffle to pour in the Creme Anglaise, if using. Enjoy warm.
• In a medium pot, whisk together the heavy cream, milk, sugar, salt, egg yolks and vanilla seeds. Place the pot over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
• Fill a large bowl with ice. Place a smaller bowl on top of the ice. Strain the anglaise into the smaller bowl and let cool completely.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Position a rack so the souffle will sit in the middle of the oven. Spread the 1/2 tablespoon of butter evenly inside a 6-cup souffle dish (6 1/2-inches round x 3 1/2-inches high) with a paper towel. Add the 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and tilt the dish to distribute the sugar evenly. Lightly tap out the excess and set aside.
• Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a 9-inch round enamel pot, such as Le Creuset, over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Whisk in the milk and 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Off the heat, cool for 1 minute and whisk in first the egg yolks and then the orange liqueur, vanilla, and orange zest and set aside.
• Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed until they are doubled in volume and frothy. With the mixer running, slowly add the 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and beat until the egg whites form soft, very creamy (not firm!) peaks. Whisk 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then add all the egg whites and fold them carefully but thoroughly with a rubber spatula into the base.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared souffle dish, not filling it more than 1 1/4 inches from the top of the dish (there may be extra mixture). Put your finger 1 inch down into the edge of the souffle mixture and run it all the way around, making sure you don't rub off the butter and sugar inside the dish. Place in the middle of the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 375 degrees. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the souffle is puffed and browned on top. Don't peek!!
• Sift a light dusting of the confectioners' sugar on top and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Remove wire racks from oven and place a baking sheet directly on oven floor. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously butter a 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish. Coat bottom and sides thoroughly with sugar, tapping out excess. For the best rise, make sure there is sugar covering all the butter on the sides of the dish.
• In a medium bowl, melt chocolate and butter either in the microwave or in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Let cool only slightly (it should still be warm), then whisk in egg yolks and salt.
• Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until the mixture is fluffy and holds very soft peaks. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until whites hold stiff peaks and look glossy.
• Gently whisk a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in remaining whites in two additions, then transfer batter to prepared dish. Rub your thumb around the inside edge of the dish to create about a ¼-inch space between the dish and the soufflé mixture.
• Transfer dish to baking sheet in the oven, and reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake until soufflé is puffed and center moves only slightly when dish is shaken gently, about 25 to 35 minutes. (Do not open oven door during first 20 minutes.) Bake it a little less for a runnier soufflé and a little more for a firmer soufflé. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• If you're baking the soufflés right away, position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.
• Butter the 6oz ramekins and dust the insides with sugar.
• Place the chocolate, butter and milk in a large heatproof bowl (preferably stainless steel) in a large skillet of barely simmering water.
• Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
• Remove the bowl from the water bath and whisk in the egg yolks.
• (Don't worry if the mixture stiffens slightly or is less than perfectly smooth at this point.) Set aside.
• In a medium, dry bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted.
• Gradually sprinkle in the 1/3 cup sugar and beat at high speed until the whites are stiff but not dry.
• Fold 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites.
• Divide the mixture evenly among the prepared ramekins, filling each 3/4 full.
• (The soufflés can be prepared to this point, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bake directly from the refrigerator.) Place the soufflés on a cookie sheet.
• Bake until they rise and crack on top and a wooden skewer plunged into the center emerges very moist and gooey (but the centers should not be completely liquid), 14 to 16 minutes, perhaps a minute or so longer if the soufflés have been refrigerated.
• Meanwhile, make the topping: Beat the cream with the vanilla and sugar until it holds a soft shape (or stiffer, if you like it that way).
• Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate until ready serve.
• When they are done, remove the soufflés from the oven and serve immediately, with a little powdered sugar sifted over the top, if you like.
• Pass the whipped topping separately.
• NOTES: You can substitute a lower-percentage bittersweet or semisweet chocolate if you prefer a sweeter, less intense chocolate flavor; or reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup to partially compensate for the sweeter chocolate, if desired.
• There is no need to make other changes in the recipe.
• After you have buttered the ramekins, the easiest way to dust sugar on the inside is to put the 2 tablespoons of sugar in one of the buttered ramekins.
• Tilt and hold that ramekin over another as if you were going to transfer the sugar.
• Rotate the ramekin containing the sugar, allowing the sugar to coat the sides as you slowly pour the sugar into the other ramekin.
• Repeat.
• Room temperature eggs are best because a cold egg might cause the chocolate to seize, which means it gets too stiff to work with.
• If you do not have eggs at room temperature, you can hold the egg yolks in a mixing bowl over medium heat (hold the bowl over but not on the burner) to warm them up.
• Underbeating egg whites is always better than overbeating them.
• You want to beat the whites until they're no longer yellow and translucent.
• To get a bigger rise, fill the ramekins higher than suggested.
• This will mean that you will have one or two fewer soufflés.
• Don't worry about underbaking or overbaking this recipe- The souffles will still taste good.