I like giving you options. I also like to make things that seem scary less scary. Things like soufflés.
Here’s the thing about soufflés. They are not difficult to make. At all. As long as you finesse a few of the techniques, you really can’t fail. In today’s video, I’ll walk you through all the tricky bits. I hope you have 4 minutes and 26 seconds to watch it! I also hope you’ll excuse my rudimentary editing skills; it’s a one-man band around here this week!
Soufflés rise, and then they fall. It’s dramatic and fun to serve a warm, lofty soufflé right out of the oven, and you can do that with this magical recipe. They take just about 15 minutes to assemble — which you can do right before baking, an hour or two before, or a day or two before (options!) — and another 15 minutes to bake. That makes them the perfect dinner party (or romantic dinner for two) dessert. Heat the oven at some point during dinner and pop the soufflés in as you're clearing the dishes. Make sure everyone stays seated, et VOILÀ, bring these to the table immediately, and pass around the cold crème anglaise (watch the video for how I recommend incorporating it into your soufflés). You will be remembered forever.
The soufflés will fall quickly, but they will probably be gone by then, or at least destroyed by attacking spoons. A fallen soufflé tastes every bit as good as a puffy one though — maybe better — so even a leftover soufflé is still very good to eat. I can attest to that because I currently have two batches of baked soufflés behind me right now and it’s hard to keep my spoon out of them.
A few notes about flavor. If you like a less sweet dessert, use bittersweet (60%) or extra bittersweet (70%), chocolate. For most people, I think semisweet will be the most popular, but you can switch these without affecting the recipe at all. Since the recipe is mostly chocolate, that’s what you’re going to taste. You could also add a tablespoon of your favorite liqueur to the milk mixture along with, or instead of, the vanilla extract.
The crème anglaise (French for custard sauce) is de rigueur for serving a soufflé. I made mine pistachio because I had some pistachio flour I was itching to use, but you could also infuse the sauce with toasted hazelnuts, or just leave it plain (vanilla). This is the time to use that vanilla bean you’ve been saving, and you only need half of it. You can make the sauce a few days ahead of time and leave it chilling in the fridge until you’re ready. If you’re preparing both the sauce and the soufflés the same day as your meal, make the sauce first so it has ample time to chill. It comes out quite thick (and absolutely delicious) as written, but if you want a thinner and less rich sauce, just use a higher ratio of milk to cream.
You’re welcome, and happy Valentine’s (or Galentine’s) Day!
xx
Susan
Chocolate, Chocolate, and More Chocolate
If soufflé isn’t calling your name — or if it is, and you want more where that came from! — here’s a round up of chocolate-y treats from the Susanality archives (some are paywall free).
Chocolate Pots de Crème
A Truly Delectable Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Malt Semifreddo with Salted Candied Almonds (and click here for the deep-dive video edition)
Chocolate-Dipped Citrus with Pistachios
Make-Ahead Chocolate Soufflé
Serves 4 to 6
This recipe will make enough for 5 to 6 (6-ounce) ramekins, 4 (8-ounce) ramekins, or 1 medium soufflé dish. You could also bake them in small dessert bowls (most are oven safe — double check that yours are before using) or even a muffin tin, but they will definitely be “fallen” soufflé cakes if baked in a muffin tin.
5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
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