Double-Baked Chocolate Soufflés with Whiskey Chocolate Sauce

, from Issue #61. September, 2015
Photography by Sarah Tuck.
Double-Baked Chocolate Soufflés with Whiskey Chocolate Sauce

Chocolate is always a good idea, especially when it’s a mousse-like soufflé: light in texture and darkly rich at the same time. Smothered in chocolate whiskey sauce and dusted with a few flakes of sea salt, these soufflés make an impressive yet simple dinner party dessert.

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS

40 grams butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
300mls milk
1/3 cup caster sugar
120 grams dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks
4 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or whiskey
sea salt

Whiskey chocolate sauce
100mls cream
120 grams dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks
20mls whiskey

8 x 2/3 cup capacity ramekins, greased with bases lined with a circle of baking paper

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Place the butter in a saucepan and melt over a gentle heat, then whisk in the flour and cocoa powder. Add the milk and sugar and continue whisking to a thickish sauce. 

Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk until smooth then add the egg yolks and whisk again. 

Place the egg whites and a pinch of salt in a separate bowl and whisk to firm peaks. Fold a few spoonfuls of egg white into the sauce to loosen, then fold the chocolate sauce into the egg whites. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins and place them in a large roasting dish. Pour boiling water into the dish until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. 

Bake for 17-18 minutes until the soufflés are risen and starting to crack on top. Remove from the oven and cool for an hour. Then run a knife around the top of each one to loosen and tip out onto a flat plate. 

Sauce: Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering. Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate and leave to sit for one minute. Whisk until smooth then add the whiskey and whisk again to combine.

To serve: To reheat the soufflés, either place on an oven tray lined with baking paper and pop into the oven at 180˚C for 5 minutes or microwave each one for 20-30 seconds. 

Serve with chocolate whiskey sauce, a small sprinkle of sea salt and optional cream or ice cream.