Chocolate Souffle

I found the recipe here, but I thought I'd just paste the recipe in here just in case something ever happens to the one that is posted on the internet. A friend of my family made this on Saturday at my parent's house and it was de-lish.

Before you start, be warned that if your baking experience, like mine, tends to run toward cookies and quick breads, this recipe is going to look all wrong. There's no flour, for one thing, and none of the usual leavening agents (baking soda, baking powder or salt). Also, it seems to have way too many eggs. But have faith, it works.

Next comes the matter of molds. Most restaurants use bottomless metal rings, which are hard to find and expensive. What worked for me was an 8-ounce tomato sauce can. Remove the top and bottom and be sure to smooth out any sharp edges (run the can opener around the edge a second time and that'll do it). It's cheap, and as a bonus you get tomato sauce.

Larger cans also worked -- it just seemed that the smaller cakes were better for individual servings. Custard cups, small gratin dishes and tart pans also worked. The recipe is resilient.

Preparation is simple, which brings us to Lau's tips: Be sure to refrigerate the dough overnight. This firms it up so it doesn't leak out of the molds and so the interior cooks slow and stays soft. Also, use baking parchment and cooking oil spray generously. Spray your molds, line them with parchment, then spray the parchment, Lau advises.

If using dishes instead of molds, cut a piece of parchment to fit the bottom, then spray the sides generously. They'll unmold easily. You can also just leave the cakes in the dishes, although you'll miss out on the effect of having the inner sauce spill out onto the plate.

Test the cakes after 20 minutes. The top will be just barely cooked, like an underdone brownie.

Serve warm, sprinkled with powdered sugar, with a dab of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on the side. Your friends will think you spent your summer at pastry school.

Roy's Chocolate Souffle

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
1-3/4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks

Melt butter and chocolate together in a double boiler.

Combine sugar and cornstarch. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with yolks. Add chocolate mixture to sugar mixture; combine thoroughly. Add eggs and whisk just until smooth. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking oil. Spray molds with oil and line with parchment. Spray parchment with oil. Scoop batter into molds so they are 2/3 full.

Bake on top rack of oven 20 minutes, or until sides are set but center is still undercooked. Remove from oven. Holding each mold with tongs or potholders, slip a metal spatula underneath and transfer to a plate. Slip a butter knife between the parchment and the mold to loosen cake; slip off mold and peel off parchment. Serve immediately. Makes 4 3-inch cakes (if using 8-ounce tomato sauce cans you'll get 6).

Bre & Kale stopped by for dinner and it was fabulous to see them. Doesn't Kale look cute?

The souffle was so good that Pace & Joy decided that Chase should have a taste.

mmm MMMM. Thanks to Pace & Joy for coming to hang with us and for bringing their adorable son! I wish I could see them more often. And I also wanted to say that I am proud of them for using craigslist. That is awesome.