For today's Countdown post, Megan and Claire are going to teach you how to make the soufflé Megan makes during the scene where she and Claire begin to become friends:
M: Hi, I’m Megan.
C: And I’m Claire.
M: Today I’m going to teach
all of you how to make the soufflé that started our friendship.
C: And I am going to
painstakingly record every last detail of what she does so I can scientifically
prove she uses voodoo magic to make soufflés.
M: I do not! Just because I
make ultra-fabulous soufflés every single time does not mean I practice dark
magic.
C: *coughs* Mmm-hmm. I’m
just gonna copy down the ingredients.
5
egg whites and 3 egg yolks
¼
cup heavy cream
¼
cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (or vanilla sugar if you’re fancy like
Megan)
5
ounces bittersweet chocolate (cut up)
1
stick (1 cup) unsalted butter (melted and then cooled)
2
tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Powdered
sugar
Voodoo
magic
M: First, you separate the
egg whites and yolks into two bowls while the eggs are still cold. No egg yolks
in the egg whites bowl! This is key!
Every time a molecule of egg yolk makes it into the egg whites, God
kills a kitten. Write that down, Claire!
C: Egg yolks = dead kittens.
Got it.
M: Then, we want to give the
whites a chance to warm to room temperature, so we’ll do some other stuff.
1)
Preheat the oven
to 350°F. Line four 1-cup ramekins with 2 coats of butter and 1 coat of granulated
sugar.
M: Do it just like how
Curtis Stone does it with the 2-minute refrigeration in between. Like in this
video: http://www.curtisstone.com/Videos/Recipe-Videos/The-Worlds-Best-Chocolate-Souffle.aspx
Just watch it. The man is a genius.
C: Plus, let’s be honest,
watching a hot chef with an accent cook chocolate desserts is eight different
kinds of bliss.
2)
Combine
chocolate and cream in a small saucepan or double boiler, stirring occasionally
until smooth. Then transfer to a large bowl to cool.
3)
Whisk yolks and
cocoa powder together and then combine with the chocolate mixture until smooth.
4)
In a large bowl,
beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they look foamy. Then
gradually beat in the ¼ cup of sugar.
M: Make sure to beat the
eggs long enough so that peaks form on the beaters when you lift the mixer.
*lifts electric mixer* See?
C: That looks highly
unnatural. But I’m still gonna lick those later.
5)
Fold two scoops of the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture using a
rubber spatula. Then fold in the rest of the egg white mixture.
M: You have to be super
gentle here. And you definitely don’t want to over mix or you’ll lose all the
air bubbles that make the soufflé puff up in the oven. If there really is
voodoo magic in this soufflé, it’s hiding in those air bubbles.
C: I knew it!
6)
Put an equal amount of soufflé batter into each ramekin, making sure the batter
comes to the very top of the dish without going over.
7)
Bake 10-20 minutes.
M: This really varies by
oven. You want the soufflés to puff out the top of the dish but you also want
them to be moist in the middle. I suggest sitting in front of your oven the
first couple times and watching them. Every. Single. Second. The perfect
soufflé takes trial and error. If you don’t cook it long enough, it falls. If
you cook it too long, it falls.
C: If you talk above a
whisper or make sudden movements or give it the stink eye, it falls.
8)
Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and pour on chocolate sauce (made from more
chocolate and heavy cream in the double boiler). Serve immediately to your new
best friend.
C: I feel like the
“immediately” part is unnecessary. Anyone who wouldn’t shove this in their
mouth immediately is not someone I want to be best friends with.
M: Word.
*Note: This recipe is
adapted from Easy Chocolate Soufflé (p. 173) from 365 Great Chocolate Desserts and Curtis Stone’s The World’s Best
Chocolate Soufflé video.
Day 8 of the 17 days until 17 FIRST KISSES countdown. Other posts here.
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