New Year's Chocolate Souffles

Happy New Year! Last night we had a low-key celebration: my in-laws Nancy and David visited because we didn't see them during the Christmas holiday and I took the opportunity to indulge at the cheese and Mediterranean bar at my local Wegman's. Have you been to Wegman's (those on the East Coast in the States)? My mom works at Wegman's and is a Wegman's evangelist. Wegman's this and Wegman's that: the woman is obsessed! It's an upscale grocery store with prepared foods out the wazoo so I bought some cheese and baguettes and olives and dips and, sigh, it's just all too much. Because I have no consideration for caloric intake, and because a truly indulgent night isn't complete without dessert, I made chocolate souffles.

I was always a bit scared of souffle. It's decidedly a bit froufrou and I am a more "throw things in a pot" type of cook. But, darnit, this was New Year's and it was souffle or bust! And I got some nice new ramekins for Christmas.

And guess what? They were easy and turned out pretty damn well. I made them around 4 pm and served them around 9: you can make the batter beforehand and serve later: just refrigerate. Here is my recipe, only very slightly altered from one found at Epicurious. This makes 4-6 servings, dependent on the size of ramekins you're filling. Chocolate lovers rejoice!

Chocolate Souffle

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
8-10 ounces (about 2 chocolate bars) bittersweet chocolate
1 1/3 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 large egg yolks, room temperature, lightly beaten
6 large egg whites, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar; more for souffle ramekins

Heat oven to 400°. Butter and sugar six 6-ounce souffle ramekins. Place on a rimmed baking sheet; set aside.

On the stove, melt the chocolate until smooth. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

In a medium saucepan combine milk and cornstarch. Stir well with a wooden spoon to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously, until thick.

Remove milk mixture from the heat and stir in warm melted chocolate. Let cool slightly. Add lightly beaten egg yolks and stir until well combined.

In a mixing bowl, whip egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Slowly add sugar and increase speed to high. Whip until shiny and stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.

Using a whisk, lighten the chocolate mixture with about 1/3 of the beaten egg whites. Stir until well-combined. Using a large rubber spatula, fold in remaining egg whites until just incorporated.

Spoon mixture into prepared souffle ramekins; the mixture should come up to the top of the ramekin. Transfer filled souffle ramekins on rimmed baking sheet to oven. Bake until risen, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve.

The New Year's spread. Cheese-tastic!

(Mostly) no chocolate was harmed in the baking of these souffles.

This is a good recipe to fake it. Definitely the end result looks fancy-smancy.

See?