SERVES 6 TO 8
Make the soufflé base and immediately begin beating the whites before the base cools too much. Once the whites have reached the proper consistency, they must be used at once. Do not open the oven door during the first 15 minutes of baking time; as the soufflé nears the end of its baking, you may check its progress by opening the oven door slightly. (Be careful here; if your oven runs hot, the top of the soufflé may burn.) A quick dusting of confectioners’ sugar is a nice finishing touch, but a soufflé waits for no one, so be ready to serve it immediately. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.
|
2 |
tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus 1 tablespoon, softened |
|
¾ |
cup (5¼ ounces) sugar |
|
2 |
teaspoons sifted unsweetened cocoa powder |
|
5 |
tablespoons (1½ ounces) all-purpose flour |
|
¼ |
teaspoon salt |
|
1 |
cup whole milk |
|
5 |
large eggs, separated |
|
3 |
tablespoons Grand Marnier |
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1 |
tablespoon grated orange zest |
|
⅛ |
teaspoon cream of tartar |
|
½ |
ounce bittersweet chocolate, grated fine |
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 1½-quart soufflé dish with 1 tablespoon softened butter. Combine ¼ cup sugar and cocoa in small bowl and pour into buttered dish, shaking to coat bottom and sides of dish evenly. Tap out excess and set dish aside.
2. Whisk flour, ¼ cup sugar, and salt in small saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk, whisking until smooth and no lumps remain. Bring mixture to boil over high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and mixture pulls away from sides of pan, about 3 minutes. Scrape mixture into medium bowl; whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter until combined. Whisk in egg yolks until incorporated; stir in Grand Marnier and orange zest.
3. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites, cream of tartar, and 1 teaspoon sugar on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip whites to soft, billowy mounds, about 1 minute. Gradually add half of remaining sugar and whip until glossy, soft peaks form, about 30 seconds; with mixer still running, add remaining sugar and whip until just combined, about 10 seconds.
4. Using rubber spatula, immediately stir one-quarter of whipped whites into soufflé base to lighten until almost no white streaks remain. Scrape remaining whites into base and fold in whites, along with grated chocolate, with whisk until mixture is just combined. Gently pour mixture into prepared dish and run your index finger through mixture, tracing circumference about ½ inch from side of dish, to help soufflé rise properly. Bake until surface of soufflé is deep brown, center jiggles slightly when shaken, and soufflé has risen 2 to 2½ inches above rim, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately.