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Valentines Day: It’s not about the Hallmark card. It’s not about the flowers. It’s not even about that special someone. It’s about the chocolate.

I mean, what would Valentine’s Day be without chocolate? Seems to me that even the most calorie conscious among us let loose on this one day a year, which means it’s time to forget that last-minute box of drugstore candies. Make something wonderful, and something wonderful may happen. I suggest this soufflé.

Trust me, it’s easy. If you can boil milk and beat egg whites (and not even at the same time), you can make this classic dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup heavy cream
• 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, the best you can find, broken up into small pieces (I use organic, fair trade chocolate—the kind with the bat on the wrapper is unbelievably good)
• 7 egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 Tbsp. sugar (plus some extra for the soufflé dish)
• 1 Tbsp. butter, for the soufflé dish
• Powdered sugar, cocoa powder, raspberries, or whipped cream (to use as a garnish)

Tools:

• Electric mixer (easiest), hand mixer, or wire whisk
• Soufflé dish (or any other straight-sided pan; I’ve even used sauce pans in the past)

Make it:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°, with the rack in the center.
2. Prepare your soufflé container: butter the sides, then sprinkle with some sugar so the soufflé can climb the walls.
3. Heat the cream until it simmers in a medium saucepan.
4. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Stir it until it is smooth, and uniform in color.
5. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff and shiny. TIP: Before you begin, wipe the bowl you plan to use with plain vinegar, rinse it, and dry it well.
6. Mix about 1/4 of the beaten egg whites in with the chocolate to lighten it—you can go ahead and use the whisk. This will help you fold the chocolate into the rest of the egg whites in the next step.
7. Pour the lightened chocolate mixture into the egg whites. Fold them together using a rubber spatula. Break up any large streaks of whites, but in the end, this is more about keeping it light than making it even.
8. Spoon the soufflé batter into the prepared dish, and bake for 15 minutes. When done, it should be nice and puffy.

Garnish and serve immediately: soufflé waits for no one! But honestly, it tastes just as good deflated—like a moist flourless cake.

This makes a lot of soufflé, but the recipe scales well. You can also use this recipe to make individual soufflés in ramekins or even heat-proof coffee cups; just make sure to adjust the baking time if you do.

Kevin : DIY Projects, Reinventing X
February 11th, 2007