Chocolate Souffle - Real Recipes from Mums (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making soufflés? ›

There's only one serious secret to the perfect soufflé and that is careful whisking of the egg whites so they keep their volume and puff to a maximum in the oven. The whites should be at room temperature and you can reckon at least one and a half per person.

What is the difference between chocolate mousse and soufflé? While both are light and airy chocolate desserts that contain eggs, mousse is custard-based, usually contains milk or cream, and is served cold. Soufflé has fewer ingredients, and is baked and served hot.

If the egg whites are not mixed enough, they will be too heavy to rise, but if they are over-whipped they will collapse in the oven. Finally, and most problematically, any cross-contamination between yolks and whites will cause the whole concoction to collapse, which is the bane of many dessert chefs' days.

According to La Varenne Practique (a timeless masterwork you should consider owning if learning more about classic French cooking appeals), there are only a few critical points to perfecting a souffle: a base of the right consistency, stiff egg whites, and the careful folding of the base and the beaten whites.

Soufflés are typically prepared from two basic components: a flavored crème pâtissière, cream sauce or béchamel, or a purée as the base. egg whites beaten to a soft peak.

Underbake and you'll have a soupy mess. Overbake and a once beautifully majestic souffle will collapse. Get your timing wrong--souffles have no tolerance for late-to-the-table dinner guests--and your souffle will fall.

The other trick to help them rise is giving them something to hold on to. Butter the sides of the souffle dish, then dust it with something the mixture can cling to. Grated parmesan or peccorino works well for savory souffles, while granulated sugar or cocoa powder is good for sweet ones.

Egg yolks get whisked in for even more richness, and coagulation—as the eggs cook, they set, just like when you fry or scramble them, allowing the soufflé to hold onto its loft for at least some time before deflating.

The chocolate soufflé was not invented until the 19th century when chocolate became more widely available. The first chocolate soufflé recipe was published in a cookbook by Marie-Antoine Careme, who was a French chef and considered one of the greatest chefs of all time.

What type of meringue is used for soufflé? ›

French meringue is the least stable of the three meringue types but the lightest and the most airy. It is often used for making individual meringues, pavlovas, and torte layers with the addition of ground nuts. It is also the type of meringue used to make oeufs a la neige (snow eggs) and sweet soufflés.

Unlike chocolate mousse, a chocolate souffle must be cooked to the perfect temperature in order to help it rise and set. Before it even goes into the oven, chocolate and cream must be melted in a bowl over simmering water, cooled and then mixed with egg yolks.

Souffle may be made up ahead and refrigerated as long as 24 hours. Put souffle in cold oven and bake 50 minutes at 325 degrees. It can also be frozen up to 7 days. Allow 50 to 60 minutes to bake frozen at the same temperature.

If you have leftovers, make sure to reheat them in the micro for a bit, since they really must be warm to shine. You can make these up to two days ahead of time – I'm not kidding. Just cover and refrigerate, then bake for 15 minutes before you serve. I make them so often that I have the recipe memorized.

A ramekin with straight sides will help the soufflé rise but you can bake them in almost anything that can go in the oven. I sometimes like to bake them in a frying pan or baking dish and serve sharing style directly on the table.

To rise properly, soufflés need a heavy, straight-sided vessel with a fluted rim. Uses for these small dishes, also sometimes called ramekins, go far beyond the eggy French classic. “They're perfect for any time you want to construct a charcuterie board or cheese board,” says Gold.

Souffle Logic: A soufflé is made up of three elements: A base sauce enriched with egg yolks (pastry cream for sweet, béchamel for savory), a filling (anything from cheese to chocolate), and whipped egg whites.