It never ceases to amaze me how much more reliable a Julia Child recipe is than that of any other cookbook author I've followed. I've been reminded of that fact again this week on a few occasions, this chocolate soufflé being one of them. Julia’s Chocolate Soufflé has been on my “Bucket List” of recipes to make for quite a while. I practiced with her Cheese Soufflé recipe a few months ago and it was spectacular. Soufflés are inherently daunting. They’re extremely delicate and fragile, and the thought of making one can be overwhelming. It shouldn't be. Worst case scenario you still end up with a delicious chocolaty dessert, even if it deflates into a somewhat less-than-beautiful glob. I was pleasantly surprised how well mine turned out. I will be a little bit extra careful next time not to over-beat my meringue though--you want it to be shiny peaks, but not dry peaks. Mine were bordering on dry and there were a few spots in the final result that you could detect the variation in texture.
This recipe is quite a few steps, but nothing really difficult. You’ll need to melt your chocolate, make a chocolate sauce, make meringue, and fold them all together. Then just bake and serve. Give it a try. It's a wonderful dessert for Valentine's Day!
Soufflé Au Chocolat (Chocolate Soufflé)
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves about 6
Ingredients
- 7 ounces of semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped
- ⅓ cup strong coffee (I like to use ⅓ cup boiling water mixed with 1 packet of Starbucks Via)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened (for buttering soufflé dish)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 egg whites (¾ cup)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sugar
- Powdered sugar for dusting
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving
Necessary Equipment:
- Small saucepan with cover set over a large pot of simmering water, or a double boiler
- A 2-2 ½ quart soufflé dish or straight-sided baking dish 7-8 inches in diameter. (Metal is preferred over ceramic or glass.)
- 2 quart saucepan
- Aluminum foil
- Paperclip or safety pin (metal only, no plastic)
- Whisk
- Mixer fitted with the whisk attachment
Instructions
- Gather and measure out all ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange rack into the lower level of the oven.
- Place the chocolate and coffee in the small pan over the pot of simmering water. Cover and remove from heat, allowing the chocolate to melt while you continue with the recipe.
- Coat the inside of the soufflé dish with butter. Surround with a collar of buttered aluminum foil. (Fold a long piece of aluminum foil in half lengthwise, butter one side, and wrap around the upper perimeter of the soufflé dish making a 3-inch tall collar around the soufflé dish with the buttered side pointing inward. Fasten the foil with the pin or paperclip.)
- Measure the flour into the 2 quart saucepan. Start whisking in the milk very slowly to make a perfectly smooth cream, continue whisking until all milk is added. Add the butter and stir over medium heat until boiling. Boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and beat for another minute or two to cool slightly.
- One by one, whisk the egg yolks into the hot milk sauce, then the melted chocolate, and then the vanilla.
- Beat the egg white and salt in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or by hand) until soft peaks are formed. Slowly sprinkle in the ½ cup of sugar and continue beating until stiff shining peaks are formed. (Be sure not to make dry peaks.)
- Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the egg white bowl. Pour the soufflé mixture into the prepared soufflé dish and set on the rack in the lower level of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes WITHOUT opening the oven door. After 35-40 minutes, the top will have begun to crack. Quickly sprinkle the surface with powdered sugar, and continue baking for 5-10 minutes longer. Soufflé is still creamy in the center when a skewer comes out slightly coated. It is fully done and will stand up well when the skewer comes out clean. Either way is fine, and are merely a matter of preference. (I prefer mine almost, but not quite completely done.)
- When you first take the soufflé out of the oven, it will be VERY tall. It will deflate as time goes on. (Mine was to the top of my foil collar when I took it out of the oven, but then was down to the top of my soufflé dish after about 10 minutes.)
Notes
Credit: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume One by Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle
Mary Anne
The flour is not in the ingredient list. Are you making a thickened milk base?
Mandy
Hi Mary Anne,
Sorry for that omission. The recipe calls for 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, and I have corrected it in the recipe now. Thank you for pointing that out.
ApartmentChef
I just made Julia's original recipe which used cornstarch in lieu of flour ; I'm sure both work but I wonder about the origin of the differentiation. I also frequent a fabulous French restaurant in my neighborhood ( Hell's Kitchen, New York, Ny) and once there was a raspberry at the bottom of my chocolate ramekin so of course I copied this, to the delight of my holiday guests. Thanks for the pictures and another variation of this wonderful dessert.
ApartmentChef
Unless this Epucurious recipe is Not original as stated, now I'm not sure on this but the individual ramekins turned out beautifully. Thank Lordy.
Mandy
This recipe is taken directly from Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and it calls for flour, not cornstarch.
lara1977
Hi Mandy -
LOVE your blog -
I was wondering... could I omit the strong coffee from the recipe? would it make a difference in the recipe a great deal? I actually did not think that Chocolate souffle HAD coffee in it. !!
Mandy
Thanks so much for your kind words. Made my day. Thank you for visiting my blog!
You could absolutely omit the coffee and just use water instead. The coffee just enhances the flavor of the chocolate, but I'm sure it would be delicious without it too. The finished souffle (with coffee) doesn't really taste like coffee, it just tastes like extra rich chocolate. Let me know how it turns out!