Hot Vanilla Souffles

This time last year my family was on a cruise ship headed to Mexico. Unfortunately that's not the case this year, so in an effort to ease my depression I decided to make souffles, which was one of the most raved about desserts on the ship. That was the first time most of my family members had ever tried a souffle, and I can't speak for everybody else, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about them since. I was intrigued by the crispy exterior and the smooth, slightly eggy (think German pancakes) inner texture. I have avoided attempting to make them because quite frankly they look intimidating, but I was surprised by how easy they were.

I searched online for recipes and the one that sounded the best to me was this one. The souffle we had on the cruise ship was accompanied by a vanilla sauce, which I will try to replicate sometime. I think I prefer the vanilla sauce to the chocolate sauce, but they were both good!

(Directions taken from the Food Network)

Ingredients

Souffles:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar for souffle dish
1 1/3 cups milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (unfortunately I didn't have one of these, so I just added a tsp. pure vanilla extract {which, FYI, I purchased in Mexico during our cruise})
1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs, separated
Confectioners' sugar

Satin chocolate sauce:
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
4 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup hot water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush 4 to 6 individual souffle dishes (or a 7-cup souffle dish) well with melted butter. Put the sugar inside one dish and toss to coat, then tip the excess sugar into the next dish and repeat. Place the dishes in the refrigerator to chill.

Reserving 1/3 cup of the milk, place the remaining 1 cup in a large saucepan. Add the vanilla bean (or vanilla extract) and heat just to a boil, then turn off the heat and set aside to let the vanilla bean infuse for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the 1/3 cup granulated sugar, the flour, and the reserved 1/3 cup milk. Add a little of the hot milk and whisk to combine, then add the flour mixture to the hot milk mixture in the saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally. Simmer just until thickened, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, stir, cover, and set aside 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and whisk in the egg yolks.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), whip the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and continue whipping until stiff and glossy. Fold into the milk mixture.

Pour the mixture into the prepared dishes, filling them 3/4 full. Run your thumb around the inside rim of each dish, making a shallow "moat" around the edge of the batter. This will help the souffles to rise straight up. Dust the surfaces with confectioners' sugar. (The souffles can stand at this point for up to 30 minutes.) Bake in the center of the oven until puffed and light golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes (I cooked mine closer to 30 to make sure the top would be slightly crisp). Do not open the oven door unless absolutely necessary.

Satin Chocolate Sauce: Combine the 2 chocolates over simmering water in the top half of a double boiler. Stir constantly until melted, then whisk in the syrup and water without removing the double boiler from the heat. Whisk until smooth and shiny. (The sauce can be made up to 48 hours in advance and refrigerated. To rewarm, stir over low heat or heat in a microwave.) At the table, serve the hot souffles by poking a hole in each one and pouring chocolate sauce into the hole, then drizzling sauce over the tops. For a large souffle, spoon onto dessert plates and drizzle sauce on each serving.

You need to eat these directly out of the oven because they fall quickly. I took this picture maybe a minute after removing the ramekin from the oven and it had already fallen quite a bit.

If you're a fan of souffles or if you have never tried one before, you should try this one. My husband deemed it a great success. I'm excited to try different flavors and recipes now that I realize I am at least capable of making them.