Tuesday, September 8, 2009

TWD: Chocolate Souffle (plus Cheese Souffle)



This week’s Tuesdays With Dorie recipe is Chocolate Souffle. There seems to be a lot of trepidation surrounding soufflés: they’re fussy, they won’t puff, they fall. They’re actually not that difficult to make, which is how I ended up making two yesterday, and even if they don’t puff as much as you want them to (mine didn’t) and they inevitably fall, they still taste great! I will get to dessert in a moment, but this selection inspired me to make a cheese soufflé, so I’ll start with dinner. I don’t recall ever having tried a chocolate soufflé until this weekend (and now I’ve made two variations), but cheese soufflés were in my dad’s regular dinner rotation; I loved them as a child and still make them occasionally. I definitely inherited the “Enjoyment of Rich Foods” gene from my dad, but luckily he also passed down the “Compulsion to Run 30 Miles per Week” gene, so it all balances out (more or less). This is the Souffle Au Fromage from Mastering the Art of French Cooking; I won’t post the recipe since it’s kind of late (I’ve been a terrible procrastinator with my TWD posts, it’s a vicious cycle) and I’m sure it can easily be found online, though I assume most home cooks, particularly food bloggers, probably own MTAOFC. And if you don’t own it, I recommend it; it’s worth it just for the yummy soufflé recipe.



As it turns out, I like chocolate soufflé just as much as cheese. I made a quarter recipe, divided into three six-ounce ramekins and baked them for eighteen minutes; I think I probably could have gotten away with two (and had a higher, more dramatic puff). I would have eaten the entire ramekin of soufflé either way, so I guess this is better for portion control. The soufflé was super-chocolaty, creamy, and the dusting of sugar in the ramekin gave a delightful crunch at the end. Mr. Penpen called it "perfect chocolateness." We gave this dessert a 9.5 for Deliciousness and a 2.5 for Effort, giving it an EDR of 3.8 – I can’t wait to make it again. Many thanks to Susan of She’s Becoming DoughMesstic for choosing this awesome dessert. You can find the recipe HERE on Susan’s site and visit the TWD blogroll to see what the other bakers thought of it.

16 comments:

betty geek said...

OK, you made a cheese souffle too.

You are too awesome for words.

Kayte said...

I just love it when someone makes two of something and compares them...all about the research! Both look absolutely beautiful. My guys liked the sugar crunch on the chocolate one also.

Unknown said...

You know, I've never had a cheese souffle in my life! I need to remedy that soon. Maybe I'll make one for lunch sometime this week :) Both the cheese souffle and the chocolate souffle look awesome! I liked the sugar crunch too - forgot to write that in my post.

spike. said...

That cheese souffle looks to die for. I would run for a few hours if I knew two souffles were in my future!

Amber Marie said...

These look great. I also would have preferred a more dramatic puff. After the TWD souffle came out well, I've been thinking of making a cheese souffle. I've never had one and am super curious! Yours looks delish and just might be the push I need :)

Megan said...

I've made spinach and cheese souffles before - and they really are easy, once you get past the initial fear.

I can't wait to make the TWD souffle - it looks so good! Of course, I love anything with chocolate!

Anonymous said...

Your chocolate souffle looks mighty tasty! I can't wait to make it again too!
That cheese souffle looks great - what an awesome dad to make these for dinner regularly for you! I just received MTAOFC for my birthday and I'm going to look up that recipe! =)

Cakelaw said...

Yum! I have never had a savoury souffle before, so I am intrigued by the cheese one.

Isabelle said...

They both looks delicious!
But I’m dying to try your cheese soufflé! Great job!

Sarah said...

Your souffles look beautiful! Until the fallen souffle cake, I had never eaten or made a souffle, but they are so fun to make I'll certainly be adding them to my repertoire. I really loved this one. Is the cheese souffle terribly eggy tasting? It looks divine, but I can't stand the taste of eggs...

Melissa said...

Love your souffles! The pics are making me hungry!!

Hindy said...

Ah, cheese souffle. I this experience made me wonder about a main course souffle. Cheese sounds like a good place to start.
Glad you enjoyed both.

TeaLady said...

Was easy wasn't it. Which chocolate one did you like the best?

Must try the cheese. Looks delicious.

Jennifer said...

GREAT souffles!!!

Anonymous said...

Love cheese souffle. Both look wonderful.

Kaitlin said...

Mmm, aren't Julia Child recipes the best? I think you've inspired me to give this cheese souffle a try.

And your chocolate souffle looks very tasty, too. I love how pretty your row of three looks, with the cracks on top.