Souffle is something I’d assumed for a long time would be complicated, difficult to make and overall not worth the effort. But then it came up as one of the challenges on the Great British Baking Show, so I decided to investigate further — and it turns out, all you really need is a bit of patience.
Duration: 15 minutes prep, ~20 minutes bake
Ingredients (for one 8-oz. ramekin):
1 egg
1 tablespoon sugar
1 oz. chocolate
A little butter and extra sugar, to grease the ramekin.
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter the side of the ramekins, then coat it with granulated sugar.
First, melt the chocolate. I used 70% dark chocolate, because I like darker chocolate and that’s what I had at home. I placed about 4 squares of it in the microwave for about 2 minutes, checking it every 30 seconds or so to make sure it was not burning. Let it cool a little.
Now combine just the egg white and sugar in a separate bowl. Make sure that everything that comes in contact with the egg white — your hands, the bowl, the whisk — is clean and dry, or it may not whip up properly. Getting yolk in there is also a big no-no.
Whip until it forms stiff peaks, like this.
This will take some time, especially if you’re doing it by hand. Be patient!
Next, mix the yolk into the melted chocolate. Once it’s fully incorporated, pour it into the egg whites.
The goal here is to preserve as much of the air bubbles as possible while you combine the two mixtures. Using a spatula, scrape the side of the bowl in a circular motion, then “cut” through the middle using the edge of the spatula. Turn the bowl about 90 degrees, then repeat. Keep going until it’s more or less even — don’t worry about mixing it perfectly. Pour the batter into the ramekin, and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes.
I’d advise against opening the oven door less than 20 minutes in, since you can cause the souffle to deflate. Take it out once it’s more or less set, with the middle still slightly jiggly. Eat it as soon as it comes out of the oven!
baking for one 