Raspberry Souffle with Chocolate Sauce

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Preparing a luscious dessert is a delicious way to express your feelings on Valentine's Day. One way to make a lasting impression would be to offer your loved one a dramatically presented, yet easy to make, baked souffle.

Although it's typically thought of as an intimidating preparation, a souffle simply requires patience and willpower. Just refrain from opening the oven door while the souffle rises - and your sweet gesture is well on its way to being a success.

Souffles, whose name comes from the French for "puffed up," came into being back in the late 18th century. With all the variations created along the way since then, all souffles should still have the same visual characteristic: to stand tall and straight above the rim of the mold.

To properly prepare souffle molds or ramekins, lightly coat the inside and the rim of each mold with softened butter and thoroughly dust each with sugar. As the souffle bakes, the sugar coating will help the batter to rise.

Hot souffles consist of a flavored base that is lightened by folding in whipped egg whites (meringue). Pastry cream and fruit purees are the most common bases for dessert souffles.

Plan ahead when you make this light-as-air dessert. Measure the ingredients and prep the molds in advance. The base should be as light as possible before folding in the soft-peaked meringue; then the ramekins should be immediately filled and placed in the oven to ensure the greatest volume. Souffles must be served straight from the oven.

In this recipe, the souffle is accompanied by a delicious Chocolate Sauce and is calculated to produce 6 individual souffles in 8-ounce ramekins. Prepare the raspberry puree and Chocolate Sauce in advance. Keep in mind that the success of any chocolate sauce depends primarily on the quality of the chocolate. Use the best-quality chocolate available to ensure a smooth, richly-flavored sauce.

Note also that a candy thermometer is essential for the recipe's preparation.

With a little care, your well-prepared souffle could win the favor of a special someone - as happened in the case of Dieter Schorner, associate professor of baking and pastry arts at the Culinary Institute of America.

Twenty-two years ago at the famous Le Cirque restaurant in New York City, a woman named Sylvia tasted a Grand Marnier souffle that would forever change her life. As she exclaimed, "Oh, if only I could marry the person who made this dessert," she had no idea that wish would come true.

It was a little more than a year later that Schorner and Sylvia were introduced, fell in love and married.

So, while you prepare this delectable tribute, be sure to keep in mind the possibilities that could follow!

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  • 6

Ingredients

  • Souffles:
  • 1 (12 ounce) package unsweetened frozen raspberries
  • 1 cup sugar, plus additional for dusting
  • 5 large egg whites
  • 1 candy thermometer
  • Chocolate Sauce:
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tbsp light corn syrup
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
  • 4 ounces (about 1 cup, chopped) bittersweet chocolate, melted

Preparation

Step 1

Souffle: To make raspberry puree, place frozen berries in small pan and cook to liquefy. Place cooked raspberries in a fine sieve over a bowl and press berries with the back of a spoon or rubber spatula. Strain the juice from the seeds; there should be ¾ cup when finished. Set puree aside until ready to use; refrigerate if making ahead of time.

Coat the inside of the ramekins with a film of softened butter, making sure to coat the top rims of the ramekins as well as the insides, and dust with sugar. Place ramekins on baking sheet, set aside.

Combine the puree and sugar in a saucepan (with candy thermometer attached) and cook over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Meanwhile, put the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a wire whip attachment. When the sugar-puree mixture reaches 230 F, begin whipping the egg whites on medium speed.

When the sugar-puree mixture reaches 240 F, and the egg whites have reached soft peaks, increase the mixer speed to high and carefully pour the hot sugar mixture into the egg whites. Whip only to soft peaks.

Immediately put the mixture into a piping bag and fill the prepared ramekins, or spoon into ramekins if piping bag unavailable. Bake at 350 F until fully risen and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Serve straight from the oven, along with Chocolate Sauce.

Chocolate Sauce: Combine the sugar, water and corn syrup in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat. Place the cocoa powder in a bowl and add enough of the hot syrup to make a paste, stirring until smooth. Gradually add the remaining syrup and mix until fully incorporated. Serve warm or chilled. Yield: About 1 cup.

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