Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (58 page)

Hot Soufflés

L’ESCOFFIER’S CAPPUCCINO SOUFFLÉ

HOT CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉ ALICE

Correct oven temperature is especially critical when baking soufflés. If it is too hot the soufflé will overbake, will probably be too dry, and will possibly burn on the outside. If it is not hot enough the soufflé will not rise properly, will probably be too soft inside, or will have to bake much longer and will then become too well done in the middle. Please check your oven temperature carefully (see page 11).

L’Escoffier’s Cappuccino Soufflé

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This is from the elegant L’Escoffier restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. It is a wonderful soufflé with a sensational flavor. You will need a soufflé dish with a 5- to 6-cup capacity—6¾ inches across by 3 inches deep.

It will take 40 minutes to bake and must be served IMMEDIATELY, so plan accordingly. (Part of it may be prepared ahead of time.)

This recipe makes 4 servings; if you want to double it, it must be made in two dishes or the outside will be too dry and the inside too soft. If you do make more than one soufflé, have someone help you serve so that neither has to wait and fall.

½ ounce (½ square) unsweetened chocolate

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon dry instant coffee or espresso

3 tablespoons sweet butter

¼ cup sifted all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

1 tablespoon Cognac

¼ cup granulated sugar

4 eggs (graded large or extra-large), separated, plus 1 additional egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Adjust a rack very low in the oven. Prepare a 5- to 6-cup soufflé dish as follows: Butter the inside of the dish. Tear off a piece of aluminum foil long enough to wrap around the dish and overlap slightly. Fold it in half the long way. Run the foil firmly over the edge of a counter to make it more flexible. Then butter one half of one long side along the open edge (not the folded edge). Wrap the foil securely around the dish with the buttered side in and the folded edge even with the bottom of the dish. Wrap a piece of string around just below the top of the dish and tie it tightly. Shake some granulated sugar (additional to that called for) around in the dish to coat the inside and the foil, invert to shake out excess. Set the prepared dish aside.

Coarsely chop the ½ ounce of chocolate and place it in a small heatproof cup in a small pan of shallow hot water over low heat. Let stand until the chocolate is melted and then remove it from the water and set aside. (Be very careful not to get a drop of water in the chocolate.)

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over moderate heat, scald the milk just until it is very hot. Add the dry instant coffee and stir to dissolve.

While the milk is heating, place the butter in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over moderate heat to melt. Add the flour and stir over heat for about 2 minutes.

Remove the saucepan containing the butter/flour mixture from the heat, add the hot milk all at once, and immediately stir well with a small wire whisk. Add the melted chocolate, Grand Marnier, Cognac, and half of the sugar (reserve 2 tablespoons of the sugar). Stir until smooth and replace over moderate heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a low boil. Let it boil slowly, continue stirring, for about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

In a mixing bowl stir the yolks lightly just to mix. Gradually add the hot milk mixture, stirring constantly. Stir in the vanilla.

Now this chocolate mixture should cool slightly—5 to 10 minutes is enough, or longer if you wish. While it is cooling it must be stirred frequently to prevent a skin from forming on the top. (The recipe may be prepared hours ahead of time up to this point. When the mixture is cool, cover it airtight and let it stand at room temperature. Then, just before going on with the recipe, stir this chocolate
mixture briefly in the top of a small double boiler over hot water to reheat until it is just barely warm.)

Preheat the oven to 350°.

To complete the soufflé, place the 5 egg whites and the salt in the small bowl of an electric mixer (or beat them in a copper bowl with a balloon wire whisk) and beat until they hold a soft shape. Then gradually add the reserved sugar and continue to beat (or whisk) until the whites hold a definite shape or are stiff but not dry.

Fold about half of the chocolate mixture into the whites and then fold the whites into the remaining chocolate—handle as little as possible in order to retain the air beaten into the whites.

Gently pour the soufflé into the prepared dish (it will come just to the top of the dish).

Bake for 40 minutes. At that time the soufflé will be firm enough to hold its shape for a few minutes but it will still be slightly creamy in the center, as it should be. (The soufflé will have risen several inches above the top of the dish.)

Reach into the oven to cut the string and carefully peel away the foil collar. Work, quickly. (Handle the dish carefully—it will be slippery on the outside from the buttered aluminum foil.) Place the soufflé dish on a folded napkin on a tray and serve immediately.

Or place the soufflé dish, with the aluminum foil, on a folded napkin on a tray, bring it to the table, and cut the string and remove the foil at the table; you will feel a little safer and the guests will enjoy the show.

This is delicious as it is, or it may be served with the following: whipped cream or Grand Marnier Custard Sauce. (Serve the cold cream or sauce alongside—not over—each portion.)

WHIPPED CREAM

1 cup heavy cream

¼ cup confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

In a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, whip above ingredients, beating only until the cream has thickened to the consistency of a sauce. (If the cream is whipped ahead of time it will separate slightly on standing; if so, stir it briefly with a wire whisk just before serving.)

GRAND MARNIER CUSTARD SAUCE

1 cup milk

¼ cup heavy cream

4 egg yolks

½ cup granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Place the milk and cream in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Let stand uncovered until a slight skin forms on the top.

Meanwhile, in the top of a large double boiler off the heat, stir the yolks lightly with a small wire whisk just to mix. Gradually stir in the sugar and the salt.

Then gradually stir the hot milk/cream into the egg-yolk mixture.

Place over hot water, which must not touch the upper section of the double boiler and should not be hot enough to boil. Stir the custard mixture constantly with a rubber spatula, scraping the sides and bottom, until the mixture thickens slightly or enough to coat a metal spoon. It might take about 10 minutes, and will register 180 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Strain into a small bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally, until the custard reaches room temperature.

Stir in the vanilla and Grand Marnier. Cover, refrigerate, and serve cold. This can be made early in the day for that night. (Stir briefly before using.)

Hot Chocolate Soufflé Alice

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This is a soufflé, but when you read the ingredients you will recognize that it is really a baked chocolate mousse.

This is an extremely easy, quick, dark soufflé. It serves four but is not too much for two or three generous portions. To double the recipe, double the ingredients but bake in two separate 1-quart soufflé dishes. (In one large dish it becomes too dry on the outside before the center is baked.) If you have made more than one soufflé, have someone help you serve so neither has to wait and fall.

This does not rise as high as the previous soufflé.

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into small pieces

Generous ½ teaspoon dry instant coffee

1 tablespoon boiling water

2 ounces (½ stick) sweet butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces

4 eggs (graded extra-large or jumbo), or 5 eggs (graded large or medium), separated

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Adjust rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 475 degrees. Butter a 1-quart soufflé dish (6 to 6½ inches × 3 inches) and dust it with granulated sugar; invert the dish and tap it to shake out excess sugar—it should be a very thin coating.

Dissolve the coffee in the boiling water and pour it over the chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over warm water on low heat. Cover. Let stand briefly only until the chocolate is melted. With a small wire whisk stir until smooth.

With the whisk, stir in the butter one piece at a time, stirring until smooth after each addition. Remove from the hot water.

Place the yolks in a medium-size mixing bowl and stir them briefly just to mix. Gradually add the warm chocolate mixture, stirring well with the whisk until smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Set aside.

(The soufflé may be prepared ahead of time to this point and may wait for an hour or two to be completed. Let both the chocolate mixture and the whites stand at room temperature. Then, during the salad course, or after it, finish the soufflé. Or if salad has been served as a first course, serve coffee and let your guests wait a few minutes for dessert—this doesn’t take long.)

In a small bowl add the salt to the whites and beat until they just barely hold a firm shape when the beaters are raised or when the whites are lifted with a rubber spatula. Do not beat them until they are dry.

Gradually, in about three additions (small at first), fold half of the whites into the chocolate and then fold the chocolate into the remaining whites—do not be too thorough; handle as little as possible. If there are a few small bits of white that have not been folded in, leave it that way. They don’t matter, and it is better than handling the mixture too much.

Turn into the prepared soufflé dish. Smooth the top.

Bake for 6 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 425 degrees and bake 7 minutes more. Total baking time is 13 minutes. (With this timing the soufflé will have, and should have, a slightly soft interior which serves as a sauce and is much more delicious than a soufflé that has been baked until it is firm all the way through.) The top of the soufflé will be rounded slightly above the top of the dish. Do not bake any longer for it to rise higher or it will become too dry in the center.

Serve immediately! A hot soufflé will collapse if it stands for more than a minute or two.

Serve with an optional side dish of softly whipped cream. The cream (follow preceding recipe on page 241, substituting rum or Cognac for Grand Marnier) may be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until you are ready. But if it stands for long it might separate slightly; if so, just stir it briefly with a wire whisk.

At the table, serve the soufflé with two large serving spoons or with a large fork and spoon, serving some of the soft center with each portion. Place a large spoonful of the optional whipped cream alongside each portion, or pass the cream.