Chocolate Soufflé

Ingredients (serves 4)

For greasing:

• 25g unsalted butter
• Finely grated chocolate

Crème pâtissière:

• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• ½ tsp cornflour
• 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk
• 4 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp double cream
• 25g dark chocolate (pref. 70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder

Ganâche:

• 4 tbsp double cream
• 50g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1 tbsp cocoa

Egg whites:

• 6 egg whites
• 85g caster sugar

Method:

1. Heat oven to 190°C. Brush 4 soufflé dishes with softened butter. Chill for 5 mins, then apply a second coat. Tip a little grated chocolate into each dish and roll it around to coat the buttered surfaces. Place in the refrigerator.
2. Crème pâtissière: Mix the flour, sugar and cornflour together in a bowl. Put egg yolk and whole egg into a separate bowl, stir together, then beat in half of the flour mixture to give a smooth paste. Tip in the rest of the flour mixture and mix well. Pour the milk and cream into a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and beat until fully melted and smooth. Gradually stir the hot chocolate mixture into the paste. Return it to the pan and gently cook over a low heat for 5 mins, stirring continuously, until smooth and thick. Remove from the heat. Leave to cool.
3. Ganâche: Slowly warm the cream in a saucepan. Just before it boils, take it off the heat and add the chocolate. Beat with a spoon to obtain a velvety texture, gradually sprinkling in the cocoa as it dissolves. Allow to cool.
4. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, sprinkling in the sugar as you are mixing. Continue to whisk until at the firm peak stage. Mix the crème pâtissière and ganâche in a large bowl. Stir in 2 tbsp of the egg white to loosen the mixture. Then, carefully fold in a third of the remaining egg white, cutting through the mixture so as to avoid knocking out the air. Fold in another third (take care not to lose the volume), and finally fold in the rest.
5. Spoon the mixture into the dishes until they are ¾ full, then gently press a spoon in to make sure all of the gaps are filled. Top up the mixture to the brim of the dishes, and then gently tap each one a couple of times on a hard surface – this ensures that the mixture has filled all of the gap. Take a palette knife and pull it across the top of each dish so that the mixture is completely flat. Clean the outside of each dish of any spillage. Run around the top edge of the mixture with your thumb to create a ring-shaped indent around the lip of each dish. Sprinkle a little grated chocolate in the centre, then bake the soufflés for 15-17 mins. The soufflés should have risen by about two thirds of their original height and will jiggle when moved, but be set on top. To serve, make a small dip with a spoon in the centre of each, then pour in single cream or add a spoonful of ice cream.