Easter 2019 Diary: Amy's Soufflés

By Amy Crouch

My family likes to go all-out for Easter feasts, and I’m usually in charge of the desserts. One of my favorite Easter desserts is the chocolate soufflé, both because of its delightful decadence and because of the capacity to make cheesy puns about it.

On Easter, He is Risen—and so are the soufflés!

Here’s my recipe. It combines the best of all dessert worlds—crunchy, sugary top, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate just under the surface, and a creamy, pudding-like center. I prefer to make a batch of small soufflés for elegance and convenience, but you could also bake the whole mixture in a large soufflé dish and have one large soufflé. Feel free to improvise with the toppings; in the past I’ve done vanilla ice cream, crème anglaise, and fruit sorbet. Here, though, I’ve provided instructions for an easy raspberry sauce that is both scrumptious and absolutely foolproof.

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉS WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE

Ingredients:

For the soufflés:

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch chunks, plus extra for ramekins

  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for ramekins

  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped coarse

  • ⅛ teaspoon table salt

  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 6 large egg yolks

  • 8 large egg whites

  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

For the sauce:

  • 1 cup raspberries, frozen or fresh

  • ⅛ cup granulated sugar

  • ½  teaspoon lemon juice

  • ⅛ teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position (don’t ignore this step!) and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease eight 8-ounce ramekins with butter, then coat the insides evenly with sugar; refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Melt chocolate and butter. If you prefer the stove, melt them in a medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Alternatively, use the microwave to melt the chocolate at 50 percent power for three minutes, stirring in the butter after two minutes. Once melted, stir in the salt and vanilla; set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, beat yolks and remaining sugar until thick, pale yellow, and doubled in volume, about 3 minutes; you can either use an electric mixer at medium speed or whisk by hand. Gently fold the yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture, a little at a time.

4. In a clean medium bowl, beat whites until foamy. (Again, you can whip with a mixer or by hand with a whisk. Either way, make sure your tools are absolutely clean, or the whites won’t hold their shape.) Add cream of tartar and continue to beat on high speed to stiff, moist peaks. You should be able to hold the bowl upside down without the mixture falling out.

5. Vigorously stir one-quarter of whipped whites into chocolate mixture. Once mixed, gently (gently!) fold the remaining whites into mixture until just incorporated without streaks. Completely fill the greased ramekins with the chocolate mixture, scraping the top with a knife to flatten and then cleaning each rim with a wet paper towel. Bake until dramatically risen and the exterior is set but interior is still loose and creamy, about sixteen to eighteen minutes; they should wobble a bit when you shake them.

6. While the soufflés are baking, make the sauce. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Adjust sugar, salt, and lemon juice to taste.

7. Serve the soufflés as soon as they come out of the oven, drizzled with plenty of raspberry sauce.


BlogcornellclaritasAmy Crouch, Easter 2019Comment