Fiery, Dark, Dangerous Chocolate Soufflé - IMBB #20 / SHF #13

^O

kay, I suppose it's cheating to use one post for both the web events Sugar High Friday #13 and Is My Blog Burning? #20 but I couldn't help myself. I've been looking for an excuse to make this adaptation of a dark chocolate soufflé  I developed several years ago for the 2001 Valentine's Day edition of my column "At Table" in Boston's South End News  -- and along came SHF with a Dark Chocolate theme, and IMBB just two days later calling for Soufflés. I didn't need the I Ching to tell me that the time was ripe for the emergence of the Fiery, Dark, Dangerous Chocolate Soufflé.

Sugar High Friday!

Sugar High Friday, now in its 13th edition, which was conceived by Jennifer at The Domestic Goddess (see her original post proposing SHF here), asks bloggers all over the world to post a tempting sweet within guidelines proposed by the month's host, who for this edition is Kelli at Lovescool. This month, Kelli's challenged us to "add a twist to one of your favorite" dark chocolate recipes, and so I've dutitfully complied!

Is My Blog Burning?

Is My Blog Burning?, in its twentieth edition, is the recognized granddaddy of all food web events. Founded by Alberto of Il Forno (see his original post proposing IMBB here) in the dim, prehistoric days when most current participants in the event were still a little foggy about what "blogging" meant, if they had even heard of it. A simple concept (everyone post on the same day a dish within the bounds of a theme proposed by the host), it has become the model for most of the web events now filling our calenders.  This month, the host is the Kitchen Chick, who proposed that we all tiptoe through the kitchen while making a soufflé.

Dark Chocolate Soufflé with a Kick

The most faithful of readers of Stephencooks.com will remember another SHF offering here (for #9) called X-treme Chocolate Tartlet, which was developed for the same 2001 Valentine's Day column as this offering. In that post I explained that I had fallen under the spell of the "Mayan" chocolates created at Cacao, the wonderful handmade candy kitchen down the road from me in Kittery, which combine the lure of dark chocolate with the heat of cayenne pepper. I'm still under that spell, so I adapted my recipe for this soufflé into the fiery version shown here with the addition of some heat. I used to think the addition of espresso to a dark chocolate concoction was a pretty vigorous intensifier before I went down this road,  but now I want to lace every chocolate dessert I know with a little of the Mayan fire!

It took me a couple of tries to get the right amount of cayenne in this recipe, so at the end of this post you can see another style of serving for the dish. No matter how it's served I like a fresh-brewed espresso on the side, along with a well-aged cognac or a good grappa to sip.

Fiery, Dark, Dangerous Chocolate Soufflé

Makes 4 individual soufflés

3 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 Tbsp double strength brewed coffee or espresso
1 Tbsp brandy
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten with a fork
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4  cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400º. Butter four small ramekins (about 2/3 cup) and dust with powdered sugar. Heat chocolate, 1/4 cup sugar, coffee and brandy over low heat, stirring, until smooth. Stir in cayenne. Off heat, stir in the egg yolks and beat a few strokes. With a clean whisk, beat egg whites until medium peaks form, gradually adding the remaining sugar to the whites. Fold chocolate mixture into the beaten egg whites and spoon into the ramekins. Bake 'till puffed, about 10 - 12 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately, with a dollop of whipped cream if you like.

This version of the  soufflé was made in a medium soufflé dish and scooped onto the plates....

Comments

[Jeanne]

Aren't you bold combining efforts. It's crossed my mind but o! the guilt! This looks flavalicious! I'm going to be making my first ever souffle for IMBB.

[Pille]

Well done, Stephen, even if it is a bit cheeky;)

[Paz]

Stephen, this looks really good!
Paz

[mrs D]

Hah! You and Chopper must have some sort of freaky psychic connection. He's doing a dark chocolate souffle as well! (A bit different than yours, though, so you'll just have to wait and see the details.) We'd hoped to get it done on Friday for the combo-event, but alas Chopper was called in to work so all our baking time vanished.

[Vivilicious]

This looks luscious, Stephen! So sad I couldn't participate in either IMBB or SHF, work commitments prevailed, sad excuse I know. Glad to see yours though, going to have to put that on my list of to-try dishes!

[chronicler]

Oh so wonderful! After doing the souffle for IMBB I am no longer frightened at the thought. Yours will be my second!

[tara]

Spiced hot chocolate has been my addiction as of late, and these little babies are the perfect continuation of that dependency. Luscious and dark looking, and I love the thought of a warm finish. Bravo!

[Ruth]

Wow, looks awesome and I love the idea of cayenne added to chocolate.

This was the first SHF I've missed since I discovered it. I was going to make a dark chocolate orange tart but was feeling to sickly. It's amazing that a cold could keep a person from focusing on food as much as I do.

[Nic]

This is a good combination, but I love it in conjunction with a bit of cinnamon even more (like Mexican chocolate). Stunning photography, Stephen, and how clever to combine both events in one post!

[fanny]

These soufflés look delicious. I just stumble accross your blog and all that i can say is that i already love it
xoxo
Fanny from FOODBEAM

[Kalyn]

Hey, congratulations on the multiple mentions for DMBLGIT. Well deserved too. All your photos are so amazing I have no idea how you can ever pick just one to submit.