Chocolate Souffles with Clementine Cream
Did y'all know that Daniel Boulud has a delightful column for Elle Decor Magazine? While Mr. Boulud was a young chef in France he would push out up to 30 souffles a night! Not surprisingly his heavenly Chocolate Souffle recipe is a winner.
-1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
-1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
-9 eggs, separated into 4 yolks and 9 whites
-1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
-4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
-1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
-1 cup confectioners sugar
Ingredients/Clementine Cream:
-1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
-1 Tablesoon confectioners sugar
-2 Tablespoons orange marmalade
-Diced segments and juice of 1 clementine
1. Position rack on lower third of oven and preheat to 385 degrees. Coat insides of 6, 6 ounce ramekins with butter then sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons of sugar, shaking out excess.
2. In medium bowl, whisk egg yolks with 1/4 cup sugar until light and pale, 2 minutes. Whisk in cornstarch, flour and cocoa powder (add a little milk if mixture gets to thick to stir) until smooth.
3. In medium saucepan bring milk to simmer. Slowly add milk to chocolate mixture, whisking as you pour. Return mixture to saucepan and bring to simmer, whisking constantly until mixture is thick and smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Put in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap (making sure wrap touches surface of mixture) and set bowl on top of oven to keep warm.
4. In a mixer with a whisk attachment whisk egg whites and lemon juice. Once foamy, gradually start adding confectioners sugar until stiff, shiny peaks have formed. Whisk 1/4 of egg white mixture into chocolate mixture. Fold remaining egg whites and clementine zest into chocolate mixture until fully incorporated.
5. Divide batter among ramekins and tap bottom to settle mixture. Using a knife, level off the top of each souffle. Run your thumb around the inner edge of each ramekin, creating a shallow indentation. Place ramekins on baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, until souffles rise and set but centers should be a tad jiggly.
6. While souffles are baking, make clementine cream. Combine cheese, sugar, marmalade and clementine segments with juice until fully incorporated. When souffles are done, sprinkle with cocoa powder and top with clementine cream. Serve immediately as souffles will start to collapse the longer they sit. Bon appetit!
