Rick and Lanie Bayless' Hot Chocolate Soufflé

We recently visited the Frontera Kitchens and spoke with celebrity chef Rick Bayless and his daughter Lanie. They were kind enough to share their yummy Hot Chocolate Soufflé recipes with us.

Rick says:  Everyone thinks soufflés are hard because you have to fold in beaten egg whites and serve them directly from oven to table (before they have time to sink—which they do naturally as they cool).  Don’t be too concerned.  Honestly, this is the second recipe I taught Lanie to make (after oatmeal in the microwave; she was 7 or 8). 

Three notes:  (1) If you don’t have two mixer bowls, put whites in another kind of bowl; wash and dry mixer bowl after making chocolate base, then use that bowl for beating the egg whites. (2) If you don’t have individual molds or custard cups, bake soufflé in a large mold (one that holds about 8 cups—we’ve even used a heat-proof 2 ½ quart mixing bowl); bake 40 to 45 minutes. (3) Use semisweet (not sweet) chocolate because of extra sugar in recipe; regular semisweet baking chocolate is fine, but really good chocolate like Lindt, Valhrona or Sharffen Berger makes amazing souffles.

Lanie says:  This dessert is one of the coolest things ever.  Number One awesome thing about it: it’s CHOCOLATE.  Number Two: it’s WARM+FLUFFY+CREAMY.  Just make sure you beat the egg whites right—not too runny, not too firm.  And fold them into the chocolate g-e-n-t-l-y so your soufflé is fluffy, not heavy.  And most important:  Make sure everyone is at the table when souffles are ready.  Last time I made it, my dad walked away (he should know better)—when he got back his had already sunk.  Still tasted good, though.  Just not as fluffy.
       

Hot Chocolate Soufflés                                                                              Serves 8

6 ounces semisweet chocolate
6 eggs
½ cup sugar for egg yolks plus 1 tablespoon for egg whites and a little for molds
Salt
2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
A little powdered sugar for sprinkling on before serving

1. Melt chocolate.  Microwave chocolate at 100% power for 1 minute.  Stir and remove spoon.  Microwave another minute, and stir again.  If not completely melted, microwave another minute and stir.


2. Make soufflé base.  Separate eggs, placing yolks in one mixer bowl and whites in another mixer bowl.  Add ½ cup sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt to egg yolks.  Beat with mixer on medium-high speed until very light, fluffy and thick—about 3 minutes.  (Mixture should be so thick that when you lift turned-off beaters an egg yolk “ribbon” falls that takes 3 or 4 seconds to dissolve).  Stir cream or milk and vanilla into melted chocolate.  Stir in 1/3 of egg yolk mixture.  Fold in remaining egg yolk mixture in 2 additions.


3. Beat egg whites.  Beat egg whites with mixer on medium speed until fluffy but not at all stiff—3 or 4 minutes.  Sprinkle in remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.  Beat 1 minute longer on medium speed—until whites are shiny and firm but not stiff.  (Beaten whites should form a soft peak—looks like top of Dairy Queen ice cream cone—when turned-off beaters are lifted out.)  Stir 1/3 of egg whites into chocolate base.  Carefully fold in remaining egg whites in 2 additions.  Divide evenly between prepared soufflé molds. You can refrigerate soufflés for several hours before baking—will need to bake longer (20 to 23 minutes).

Recipe by permission of Rick Bayless. Copyright Rick Bayless/Fontera Kitchen 2006