Chocolate Orange Soufflés with an Orange Creme Anglaise Sauce

Ah dear sweet chocolate.  Whether you are blissful or bitter about Valentine’s Day, you should still indulge in this fabulous dessert.  Chef Frank McClelland is the  author of Wine Mondays, and chef/ owner of L’espalier restaurant in Boston.  He shares with us in this video one of his signature restaurant desserts, chocolate orange soufflés with an orange creme Anglaise sauce.   This one sounds complicated but is actually quite simple, as chocolate soufflés tend not to have the “falling” issue common to many soufflés, a result of the strength of the cocoa.

Some soufflé trivia:   The word  soufflé  is derived from the past tense of the french verb “souffler“, which literally translates to “blown up”.  Legend has it that the original soufflé recipe was printed in the book “Le Cuisinier Moderne” in 1742, which was written by Vincent La Chapelle, a prestigious author and french master chef who was employed by Madame de Pompadour, the famous mistress of Louis the XV.   And did you know?   Febuary 28th is National Chocolate  Soufflé day in the US!

Read on for the recipe…

Chocolate-Orange Soufflés

Ingredients for Souffle Base
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup chopped bittersweet chocolate
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 egg yolks
• zest of 1 orange

Ingredients for filling the ramikens with a butter and sugar coating:
• About a tablespoon of room temperature butter
• 1 cup sugar

Ingredients for Soufflé
• 12 egg whites
• 1/3 c sugar

Steps for making the Soufflé Base:
1. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, chopped chocolate, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk together the cream, vanilla extract, and 3 of the egg yolks. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until thoroughly incorporated.
2. Pour the mixture into a medium-size saucepan and heat on medium-low, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken, approximately 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and stir for about 4 minutes, until the mixture thickens.
3. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and press plastic wrap onto the surface to keep the pastry cream from developing a skin while cooling. Let cool for 1 to 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350º (preheat conventional oven to 370º, preheat convection oven to 350º)

Steps for filling the ramikens with butter and sugar coating:
1. Coat the inside of the ramiken with butter. Be sure to coat the entire surface.
2. Fill the ramiken with sugar so it sticks to the butter
3. Pour out all the sugar. The sugar that is remaining is what sticks to the butter

Steps for making the Soufflé

1. Combine the 12 egg whites in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until frothed, about 4 minutes.
2. After the 4 minutes are up, slowly add 1/3 cup sugar and beat until medium-stiff peaks form.
3. Once the sugar is incorporated, speed up the mixing process again until the egg mixture turns into medium peaks
4. Once this is done, pour the egg white mixture into the soufflé base and make sure to fold the egg mixture into the base to maintain the fluffiness of the mixture
5. Once the mixture is fully incorporated, the soufflé is ready to be poured in the ramekins for baking.
6. Divide the batter evenly among the ramekins and bake for 15 minutes. Serve immediately Orange-Creme Anglaise . Puncture the top of the hot soufflés and pour the sauce right in.

Orange Crème Anglaise:
2 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar – divided use
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, or other orange-flavored liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the half-and-half, 1/4 cup of sugar and orange zest to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until thick, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in about 3/4 cup of the hot half-and-half, mixing well. Add the egg mixture to the saucepan with the remaining half-and-half. Cook stirring, over medium heat, until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and place saucepan in a large bowl of ice water to chill mixture quickly.
3. Add the Grand Marnier and vanilla, and stir to combine.
4. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down on the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate until completely cool, about 2 hours, or overnight.