Chocolate Soufflé with Hot Chocolate Sauce and Whipped Cream
Recipe courtesy of Fearrington House Inn Executive Chef, Colin Bedford, a Grand Chef in the Relais & Chateaux family of premier hotels.
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup milk
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- pinch of salt (1/8 teaspoon)
- 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 12 egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- confectioners’ sugar
- 1 recipe of Chocolate Soufflé sauce
- 1/2 pint heavy cream, whipped and sweetened
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Melt butter, add flour, and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Heat milk and add it all at once, whisking rapidly. Add sugar, vanilla, and salt.
Melt chocolate over the lowest setting possible, cool slightly, and blend with the milk mixture.
Beat egg whites until they are foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue beating until they hold stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the chocolate mixture.
Butter six 8-ounce ramekins and fill each 2/3 full with the souffle mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Dust the tops of the soufflé with confectioners’ sugar. Serve immediately with a small pinch of the chocolate soufflé sauce and whipped cream.
If the base of the soufflé should curdle after blending it with the milk, beat in warm half-and-half by the tablespoon until the mixture becomes smooth.
Makes 6 portions
Hot Chocolate Sauce
- 2oz 100% Chocolate (@4 tablespoons)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2.5 oz sugar (5 tablespoons)
Bring the cream to a simmer, add the rest of the ingredients using a hand blender to help incorporate fully. Reserve in a container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Serve hot and in a small pitcher on the side of the soufflé.
The restaurant actually presents the soufflé on a plate, uses a spoon to cut a round opening into the center, and then pours the hot chocolate over the top. Whipped cream topping after the sauce, table side, impressive presentation.
I don’t want to give away all the surprises at this resort, but they did send out a special “pre dessert” when I ordered this. Sheer genius.
The sommelier, Maximilian Kast, expertly paired my dessert with a 20 year-old Ferreira tawny port.
It’s healthy to share! Cheers!!!