Souffle Al Cioccolato Recipes

Steps:

• Put the kettle on, and warm the milk and cream together either in a saucepan or microwave.
• Put the sugar and cornstarch into another saucepan and sieve in the cocoa. Add the 2 tablespoons of boiling water and whisk to a paste.
• Then whisk in the egg yolks, 1 at a time, followed by the warmed milk and cream, and then the vanilla extract.
• Scrape down the sides of your pan and put it on the heat, cooking and whisking for about 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture thickens - if it helps, think of consistency like mayonnaise.
• Take off the heat and whisk in the finely chopped chocolate, before pouring into 4 small cups or glasses each with a yield of about 2/3 of a cup.
• Cover the tops of the cups with clingfilm/clingwrap (plastic wrap) to stop them from forming a skin, and then refrigerate once they are cooler. Make sure they are not still fridge-cold when you serve them. You can add a blob of cream on top if you like.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Butter and dust with about 2 tablespoons of the sugar, 6 (1-cup) souffle dishes. Chill until needed.
• Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl set over a double boiler. Remove from the heat and stir in the egg yolks and the liqueur.
• Whip all 7 egg whites until they form soft peaks. Whip in the lemon juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Continue to whip the whites until they are stiff but still very shiny. Stir a quarter of them into the chocolate mixture, and then gently fold in the remaining whites.
• Fill the molds with the souffle mixture. Run your thumb around the inside edge of each dish so that the souffles will form a hat. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are set but the middle is still just a little soft.
• Serve on napkin-lined dessert plates. Dust the tops with powdered sugar, if desired, and spoon a dollop of whipped cream into the center of each souffle. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Take four 200ml soufflé dishes and brush them completely with softened butter. Chill the dishes for 5 mins, then, as an insurance policy so the soufflé doesn't stick to the dish, apply a second coat as before. Tip a little grated chocolate into each dish, roll the dish around tilting it as you do so it is evenly lined all round.
• For the crème patisserie, mix the flour, sugar and cornflour. Put egg yolk and whole egg into a bowl, stir, then beat in half of the flour mixture to give a smooth paste. Tip in the rest of the flour mixture and mix well.
• Pour the milk and cream into a pan and bring just to the boil. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and beat until it is melted and smooth with no lumps.
• Gradually stir hot chocolate mix into paste. Return to pan. Cook, stirring, over a medium-low heat for 5 mins to a smooth, thick paste. Remove from the heat. Leave until cold, beating occasionally with a wire whisk.
• Make the ganache: slowly warm the cream in a pan. Just before it boils, take off the heat and add chocolate. Beat constantly to a velvety texture, gradually sprinkling in the cocoa as it dissolves. Allow to cool.
• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks with an electric whisk. Sprinkle in the sugar as you are mixing. Keep whisking to give stiff, firm peaks to give volume to the soufflés.
• Mix crème patisserie and ganache in a large bowl. Stir in 2 tbsp of egg white. Carefully fold in a third of the rest, cutting through the mixture. Fold in another third (take care not to lose the volume); fold in the rest.
• Spoon the mixture into the dishes to fill them by three-quarters, then gently press a spoon in to make sure it fills all the gaps. Fill the dishes to the top with the mixture, then bang each dish on to the surface so the mixture fills the sides.
• Take a palette knife and pull it across the top of each dish so the mixture is completely flat. Take a little time to wipe any splashes off the outside of each dish, or they will burn on while cooking.
• So mixture won't stick to the top of the mould, and to give a straight finish, go around the top edge of the mixture with your finger. Sprinkle a little grated chocolate in the centre, then bake the soufflés for 15-17 mins.
• The soufflés should have risen by about two thirds of their original height and jiggle when moved, but be set on top. To serve, make a small dip with a spoon in the centre of each, then pour in single cream or add a spoonful of ice cream.