Chocolate Soufflé

Chocolate Soufflé

Serves 2

Ingredients
150g Plaistowe Dark Cooking chocolate
Softened butter to coat ramekins
1/3 cup caster sugar (about 85 grams)
4 eggs separated
Extra caster sugar for dusting ramekins
Icing sugar

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.

Thoroughly brush ramekins with softened butter. Brush up the sides to create a “path” for the soufflé to rise.  Then coat inside of ramekins with caster sugar. Together the butter and sugar will facilitate the rising.

Melt chocolate in a bowl large enough to incorporate the beaten egg whites.

Place egg whites into a bowl and start whisking with some of the sugar then gradually add the remaining sugar and continue to whisk until thick and shiny soft peaks form.

Mix egg yolks with a fork until well combined and add to the melted chocolate and mix well. This will create a batter that will bind with the egg whites.

Mix 1/3 of egg whites into chocolate mixture until well combined. Then turn and fold in remaining egg white until all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour mixture into ramekins all the way to the top and level the mixture but be very careful not to drip any mixture on the side otherwise you will have to wipe it clean and the soufflé will stick when cooked. (Some recipes suggest running the end of your thumb around inside edge of soufflé dish to ensure the soufflé will rise evenly).

Place ramekins onto a baking tray and place in the oven and cook at 200 degrees for 15 minutes until well risen and gooey in the centre.

Serve soufflé dusted with icing sugar and cold whipped cream with grated chocolate on the side.

To eat, break a hole in the centre of the soufflé and drop in chocolate cream.

Deeeeliiiiicious.

My interpretation of the recipe as seen on MasterChef Australia on Ten

Notes:

Used 8x7cm ramekins.

Next time, will reduce the sugar to about 65g because the souffle was intensely sweet.

Soufflé was prepared 30 minutes before baking, left at room temperature.

Methods for avoiding your souffle spilling over the dish when cooking:
– If the temperature is too low, it will not “seize” the souffle quickly enough and the mixture will spill over as it bakes.
– Ramekins can be filled approximately 2cm lower than the top of the dish so when the souffle rises it does not spill over.
– Do not beat the egg whites until they are stiff or the souffles can rise too high and spill over the rims of the mould. Instead whip the eggwhites until they just begin to hold their shape.
Source:  Il Viaggio Di Vetri: A Culinary Journey By Marc Vetri, David Joachim, Douglas Takeshi Wolfe

Some recipes also use flour or cornflour and milk. One website noted that they omitted the milk that goes into most chocolate soufflés and the result is a puffier, crisper texture outside and a lighter, airier consistency inside. Another recipe states that the soufflés can be prepared up to the point of ready to bake them. Just refrigerate for anywhere up to three days.  Just bring them out of the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. If you don’t take them out of the refrigerator early, then bake them for an extra minute or two.

Other recipes:

Lifestyle Food – Chocolate Souffle by Gordon Ramsay

Lifestyle Food – Decandent Chocolate Souffles

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2922/hot-chocolate-souffl-

Lifestyle Food – Chocolate Souffle by Ben O’Donoghue from The Best In Australia

Lifestyle Food – Chocolate Souffle with Figs by Richard Phillips

Channel 4 – Chocolate Souffle by Gordon Ramsay

ABC – Chocolate Souffle from The Cook and The Chef

Epicurious – Chocolate Souffle

Cooking for Engineers – Dark Chocolate Souffle

The Gourmet Cookbook By Ruth Reichl, John Willoughby, Zanne Early Stewart

The Baker’s Manual By Joseph Amendola, Nicole Rees, Nicole Rees Smith

Professional Baking By Wayne Gisslen, Mary Ellen Griffin, Le Cordon Bleu

Read Full Post »

Classic Cheese Souffle

Classic Cheese Souffle

Ingredients
30g of plain flour
30g butter
1 cup warm milk
3 Tablespoons freshly grated Gruyere cheese
2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
5 eggs separated
Salt and black or white pepper
Extra butter for coating ramekins
1-2 finely grated Parmesan cheese for coating ramekins
Butter for greasing baking paper if making the cheese sauce ahead of time.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Butter a 1 litre ramekin dish or 2-3 smaller sized ramekins.  Make sure the dishes are completely coated. Place a tablespoon of parmesan cheese into each ramekin and roll the cheese around to coat the inside of the ramekins. This will prevent the souffle sticking and facilitate rising. Tip the leftover parmesan into the next ramekin until they are all coated.
Melt 30g of butter in a small heavy based saucepan.
Stir in flour and cook on medium heat, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Gradually add milk stirring all the while.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow sauce to simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in gruyere and 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese. Then stir in the egg yolks one at a time.
Taste for seasoning.
Transfer to a large mixing bowl. If making the cheese sauce ahead of time, cover the sauce with a piece of buttered baking paper and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour before adding the egg whites.
Whisk egg whites.
Take 1/3 of beaten egg whites and mix in the egg whites until until well incorporated into the cheese sauce.  Then add another 1/3 of the beaten eggs whites and using a metal spoon lift and fold the egg whites through the mixture. Repeat with the remaining 1/3 of the egg white mixture until well incorporated and the mixture is frothy and spongy.
Carefully pour mixture into prepared ramekins. Run your thumb around the inside edge of the the souffle dish so it will rise with a flattened edge.
Place souffles on a tray and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes depending on the size and number of dishes used. Do not open the oven during cooking. When cooked the centre should be well risen and brown.  To check if the souffle is cooked, touch gently – the souffle should yield but not feel liquid. The top should be crusty with a creamy, saucy middle.
Remove souffle from the oven and serve immediately.

Notes:

The cheese sauce can be made a head of time to sit at room temperature an hour before adding the egg whites. Cover the sauce with a piece of  buttered baking paper to prevent a hard skin forming.

Methods for avoiding your souffle spilling over the dish when cooking:
– If the temperature is too low, it will not “seize” the souffle quickly enough and the mixture will spill over as it is baked.
– Ramekins can be filled approximately 2cm lower than the top of the dish so when the souffle rises it does not spill over.
– Do not beat the egg whites until they are stiff or the souffles can rise too high and spill over the rims of the mould. Instead whip the eggwhites until they just begin to hold their shape.
Source:  Il Viaggio Di Vetri: A Culinary Journey By Marc Vetri, David Joachim, Douglas Takeshi Wolfe

Read Full Post »

Cumquat Soufflé

Cumquat Soufflé

Ingredients
2 eggs separated
25 g + 25g caster sugar
3-4 tsps pureed candied cumquats (see previous post for recipe)
Extra caster sugar for dusting ramekins
Softened butter to coat ramekins
Salt
Icing Sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.
Thoroughly brush ramekins with softened butter. Brush up the sides to create a “path” for the soufflé to rise.  Then dust the inside of the ramekins with caster sugar by turning the mould around until the inside of the ramekin is thoroughly coated with sugar. Together the butter and sugar will facilitate the rising.
In a bowl, cream the egg yolks with the first 25g sugar, until pale and the sugar has dissolved.
Add the candied cumquat puree, mix and set aside.
In a separate clean bowl (copper, if you have one), whisk the egg whites with a tiny pinch of salt. When you are ½ way to peaks forming, add ½ the remaining sugar, followed by the rest shortly after. Whisk until thick and shiny soft peaks form.
Stir 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg yolks until well combined then carefully turn and fold through the remaining egg white mixture until thoroughly incorporated.
Spoon the mixture into the soufflé moulds or ramekins all the way to the top and level the mixture but be very careful not to drip any mixture on the side otherwise you will have to wipe it clean and the soufflé will stick when cooked.  This quantity will fill 2x270ml ramekins.
Bake the soufflés at 190C for 15 minutes for these sized ramekins – cooking time will vary between approximately 8-15 minutes depending on the size of the moulds used.
Dust the soufflés with icing sugar and serve immediately.  You can break a hole in the centre of the soufflé and drop in cold whipped cream.

Read Full Post »

Passionfruit Souffle

Passionfruit Souffle

Ingredients
2 egg yolks
25 g + 25g Sugar
30 ml strained passionfruit juice
2 egg whites
Salt
Icing Sugar for dusting

In a bowl, cream the egg yolks with the first 25g sugar, until pale and the sugar has dissolved.
Add the passion fruit juice, mix and set aside.
In a separate clean bowl (copper, if you have), whisk the egg whites with a tiny pinch of salt.
When you are ½ way to peaks forming, add ½ the remaining sugar, followed by the rest shortly after.
Whisk to firm peaks but be careful not to over beat them.
Whisk 1/3 of the whites into the yolks then carefully fold through the remaining.
Spoon the mixture into a buttered and sugared soufflé mould or tea cup or ramekin.
Bake at 190C for 12 minutes.
Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately with passionfruit sorbet.

Passionfruit Soufflé – Neil Perry at LifeStyle Food

Other recipes:
Lime Soufflé with Raspberry Icecream – Gourmet Traveller

Read Full Post »

Souffle Au Fromage

Souffle Au Fromage

Servings 4-6

Ingredients
60g butter
60g plain flour
6 eggs, separated
½ litre of milk
200g good quality gruyere cheese, grated
Nutmeg
Black Pepper
Salt

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Butter a large soufflé dish.

To make the roux, melt butter in a heavy bottom saucepan over low heat and add flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture foams.

Add cold milk in small amounts and stir with a wooden spoon or a whisk until the mixture is homogeneous and thickens.

Add cheese and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Remove pan from heat and stir in egg yolks.

In a glass bowl, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form – firm but not dry. With a large metal spoon gently add a small amount of egg white to the cheese mixture.

Pour remaining cheese mixture into egg whites and mix gently.

Pour into buttered soufflé dish and flatten top with the back of a spoon.

Bake on the centre shelf for 10 mins.

Turn oven down to 180 degrees celcius and continue to cook for another 25 to 30 minutes until well risen and golden brown.

Serve immediately.

Notes:
A large souffle dish is shown in the online video.

Recipe Courtesy of  SBS Food Safari

Other websites:

http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/3348/souffle-suissesse

http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/9553/souffle-au-fromage

http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/6120/awts-cheese-souffle-masterclass

http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/9425/double-baked-cheese-souffle

http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/4150/gruyere-omelette-souffles

Read Full Post »