Grand Marnier Souffle

By á-58

Make the soufflé base and immediately begin beating the whites before the base cools too much. Once the whites have reached the proper consistency, they must be used at once. Do not open the oven door during the first 15 minutes of baking time; as the soufflé nears the end of its baking, you may check its progress by opening the oven door slightly. (Be careful here; if your oven runs hot, the top of the soufflé may burn.) A quick dusting of confectioners' sugar is a nice finishing touch, but a soufflé waits for no one, so be ready to serve it immediately.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons sifted cocoa powder
• 5 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 5 large eggs , separated
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest from 1 medium orange
• 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preparation

Step 1

1. Adjust rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 1 1/2-quart porcelain soufflé dish with 1 tablespoon butter, making sure to coat all interior surfaces. Stir together 1/4 cup sugar and cocoa in small bowl; pour into buttered soufflé dish and shake to coat bottom and sides with thick, even coating. Tap out excess and set dish aside.

2. Whisk flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt in small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk, whisking until smooth and no lumps remain. Bring mixture to boil over high heat, whisking constantly until thickened and mixture pulls away from sides of pan, about 3 minutes. Scrape mixture into medium bowl; whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter until combined. Whisk in yolks until incorporated; stir in orange zest and Grand Marnier.

3. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and 1 teaspoon sugar at medium-low speed until combined, about 10 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until frothy and no longer translucent, about 2 minutes. With mixer running, sprinkle in half remaining sugar; continue beating until whites form soft billowy peaks, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running, sprinkle in remaining sugar and beat until just combined, about 10 seconds. The whites should form soft peaks when beater is lifted, but should not appear Styrofoam-like or dry (see illustration 1, below).

4. Using rubber spatula, immediately stir one-quarter of beaten whites into soufflé base to lighten until almost no white streaks remain (see illustration 2, below). Scrape remaining whites into base and fold in whites with balloon whisk (see illustration 3, below) until mixture is just combined, gently flicking whisk after scraping up side of bowl to free any mixture caught in whisk. Gently pour mixture into prepared dish and run index finger through mixture, tracing circumference about 1/2-inch from side of dish, to help soufflé rise properly. Bake until surface of soufflé is deep brown, center jiggles slightly when shaken, and soufflé has risen 2 to 2 1/2-inches above rim of dish, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately.