Chocolate Souffle

One of my "go to" movies is Because I Said So starring Mandy Moore and Diane Keaton. Mandy Moore plays a character named Millie whose mother is determined to find her daughter a life partner. Millie is one dating disaster after the other who throws herself into her rocking catering company - someone many of us ladies can relate to. The movie is a sweet portrait of an experience many women go through today and yes, there is a happy ending. One of my favorite features of the is that there is lots of delicious baking but one dish is front and center - the Chocolate Souffle! One afternoon I popped in this favorite movie while reading my Cooking Light magazine and inside was a Double Chocolate Souffle with Warm Fudge Sauce so I considered it fate that I must make this delicious treat.

Some of my fellow foodies made me a little nervous to attempt this dish but I found it to be simple and best of all, delicious!

Recipe from Cooking Light, December 2009


Souffle:
Cooking Spray
1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of sugar, divided
3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour (Suggestion: I prefer unbleached flour)
3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 1/4 cups of fat free milk (Note: I used 2%)
3 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
6 large egg whites (Suggestion: instead of letting the yolks go to waste, save them to make a breakfast scramble)



Sauce:
1 tablespoon of butter
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 cup of fat free milk
1/2 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped


Yields 6 servings (Serving is 1 souffle and about 2 tablespoons of sauce)

315 calories & 9g of Fat per serving

NOTE: I halved the recipe to only make 3 souffles.


Directions:

1. Place oven rack at lowest setting. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Lightly coat 6 ramekins with cooking spray. Lightly sprinkle with sugar, rotating to evenly distribute on sides.


3. Combine 1/2 cup of sugar, flour, coca, and salt in medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add in 1 1/4 cups of milk, stirring with a whisk. (Note: Be sure to mix in all those bits of flour and the edges of the pan where the batter will gather) Bring to a boil and continue stirring for about 2 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add 3 ounces of chopped chocolate. Stir until smooth and then transfer to bowl to cool. Let mixture set until it reaches room temperature (about 5-10 minutes). Then stir in vanilla and egg yolk.
















4. Beat egg whites on high until stiff peak forms, careful not to over mix. Gently fold in egg whites into mixture until incorporated. (Note: Do not stir as the egg whites will lose their fluffiness)


5. Spoon mixture into ramekins. Sharply tap on counter 2 or 3 times to level. Place ramekins on cookie sheet and place into oven. Without removing souffles, immediately reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for 40 minutes (Note: mine took about 30 minutes) To Test, place a wooden stick in the side of souffle and if it comes out clean, its done.




To Prepare Sauce:

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium to high heat. Add sugar, cocoa, flour and mix well with a whisk. Gradually add in milk. Bring mixture to a boil. Cook for 1 minute or until sauce thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Serve warm with souffles.