≡ Menu

My quest for the perfect chocolate souffle

Three months of blogging and I actually have managed to not write about chocolate. It’s really an embarrassment. Rarely does a day go by when I don’t eat the stuff; how have I not blogged about a chocolate recipe yet??

Time to solve that.

Chocolate Souffle may be light and fluffy, but it’s one of the richest ways to have your chocolate. When done properly, a delicate crust gives way to light but shockingly-rich innards, which deflate and melt on your tongue. Even better is when it’s cut with straight cream at the table…ok, drooling.

I’ll sing the praises of chocolate souffle forever, but finding the perfect recipe is proving to be a challenge. That’s why this is the first in a series of posts, in which I’ll try various recipes for chocolate souffle, rate them, and (hopefully) find or develop a foolproof recipe.

Recipe 1 comes from one of my favorite bloggers, Bea at La Tartine Gourmande. Her version calls for infusing the milk with fresh cardamom pods, which I love but don’t have around the house, so I left them out. Here’s the rundown:

Pros

  • the batter had a nice, light texture that stood up to a bit of over-mixing
  • the 20-25 minute cooking time was exactly right
  • the recipe called for equal numbers of yolks and whites, which means no egg-parts sitting in the fridge and a very happy Rivka 🙂

Cons

  • mine didn’t rise to the heights that Bea’s did. Who wants pouting souffles?
  • I used more chocolate than Bea called for, and my souffles were simply not chocolate-y enough. More chocolate more chocolate!

The search continues…

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Sara<3 November 14, 2007,

    I LOVE LOVE LOVE chocolate souffle. I am not ambitious enough to try to make it myself so I’ve been looking for the best one in DC. I’ve had a few good ones, but nothing with the center as liquid-y as I would like. I can’t wait to hear more about this quest.

  • Deborah November 15, 2007,

    There was a chocolate souffle recipe in a Cooking Light magazine a few months back that I have been really wanting to try. I have actually never made a souffle before – I really need to get into the kitchen and try it out!!

  • s.j.simon November 15, 2007,

    lol. did you know that chocolate was banned in switzerland for many years. read this

  • Erica November 15, 2007,

    Maybe the reason it did not rise as much was “more chocolate.” More chocolate=more fat, so maybe it would have needed more egg whites to rise more. An interesting dilemma if we are looking for intense chocolate taste…

    -Ima