Tag: dessert

Chocolate and raspberry profiteroles

If you want something different from the chocolate, vanilla or coffee eclair or choux, maybe try these chocolate raspberry profiteroles. You can choose to make choux or eclairs.

I will maybe never do the perfect shape choux or eclairs.  For one reason, this is not a goal of mine. Somehow I like some irregularities here in the shapes. It has something like “home” about it and leaves space for the imagination to work out which shape choux I am going to pick!  Here the shapes are quite irregular, I had a little extra choux dough which I topped a few pieces with.

choux raspberry chocolate

The cream inside these chocolate and raspberry profiteroles is not milk-based, but berry juice-based. The whipped cream makes it lighter than a full custard.

It is a bit of work, but well worth it!

choux a la framboise

Ingredients:

For the choux pastry, use the recipe I have on this page HERE.  If you have a Thermomix, feel free to use the recipe given with it, it works very well.  I strongly recommend you read the tips on the page linked here.  If the dough is too liquid, the choux will be flat and not dry well.

You don’t necessarily need to glaze the choux before baking (those in the photos didn’t get glazed).

For 18 good size choux, or here 22 (medium +)

  • 4 eggs
  • 150 g of plain flour
  • 75 g of butter
  • 250 mL of water
  • 1/2 tsp of table salt

For the cream

In this cream, we use the raspberry coulis we are about to make instead of milk for the custard. Once the custard is done, we need to cool it down before mixing into it the chocolate whipped cream.

  • 1.5 full eggs (the 1/2 came from the leftover one from the profiteroles) or 2 egg yolks
  • 300 g of frozen raspberries
  • 30 g of cornflour
  • 50 g of white sugar
  • 100 g of dark chocolate
  • 1 tablespoon of dutch cocoa
  • 200 mL of liquid or thickened cream

To decorate

  • 75 g of dark chocolate (couverture if available)
  • a few fresh or frozen  raspberries (optional)

Method

The choux
  1. First, we need to get the choux in the oven.  Follow the recipe referred to above (HERE as well).  Remember to check your choux are well dry before removing them from the oven. If not sure take one out of the oven and push it open to check if it is dry inside.
The cream
  1. Place the raspberry with a couple of spoons of water in a saucepan and stew until all unfrozen. Use either a small blender or a mashing tool to puree.  Using a mesh strainer over a clean bowl, recover all the coulis you can. Discard the seeds.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the egg and sugar until pale, add then the cornflour and make sure there aren’t any lumps.  In a saucepan, place the raspberry coulis and the custard mix. Cook over medium-high heat until thick (make sure not to burn) then transfer to a bowl.  You will know when it is ready to transfer as the mix will have significantly thicken.  Make sure not to boil. Now, if you have time ahead of you, place the custard in the fridge, else in the freezer. it needs to be cold to add to it the chocolate – whipped cream.
  3. Melt the chocolate with a splash of milk.  Make sure it is all smooth, if necessary add another splash of milk. Add the cocoa powder using a small sieve to avoid the lumps. Whip the cream, once whipped, add the chocolate to it, mix until just combined. Do not worry if not perfect. Keep cold until the raspberry custard has cooled done to room temperature at least.  Mix the custard and chocolate whipped cream together.
The profiterole
  1. Now you can finish preparing your chocolate and raspberry profiteroles. Using a piping bag and a round nozzle fill the choux.  I don’t do a hole underneath (else it gets messy when you eat the choux) but a place on top which may have less resistance to the push of the nozzle. That spot will be covered by the icing/topping.
  2. For the topping of the chocolate and raspberry profiteroles, melt (overture if you have) chocolate over a bain-marie. Once the chocolate is melted, dip the top of each choux in it and place it back on the board. Add a fresh (or frozen) full raspberry on top.

The profiteroles will keep at room temperature for a few hours. Place in the fridge overnight.

choux raspberry chocolate

Ruby red rhubarb and berries crumble

This ruby red rhubarb and berries crumble is rich in taste. I find it comforting but not in the sense of heavy food. The colour of it is amazing, you can’t wait to put your spoon into it!

Here I have access to red rhubarb, you can do it with green rhubarb, the colour will be a bit different. You can choose not to do a crumble and just keep the compote to have as-is with a biscuit or at breakfast.

rhubarb
Ruby red rhubarb and berries crumble, the fruit compote has boiled over the crumble. The yellow colour of the crumble is due to the use of besan four.
Ingredients:

For the red ruby rhubarb and berries compote:

  • 500 g of rhubarb (1 bunch)
  • 300 g of mixed frozen berries
  • 150 g of white sugar
  • 200 ml of red wine

For the crumble top:

  • 75 g of very soft butter (or 1/2 melted butter)
  • 150 g of flour.  You can use gluten-free flour.  In the photo, I have used besan flour (chickpea flour)
  • 75 g of caster sugar
  • 75 g of walnut, crushed in your hand
  • 25 g of pistachios
Method:
  1. Peel the rhubarb and wash the stalls.
    Tip: peeling rhubarb consists in cutting the leaf off, then the bottom bit (the thick end). With the bottom bit will come some of the rhubarb skin in the form of a long string of “skin”. Pull till it comes off. 
  2. Cut the rhubarb in 1-2 cm long pieces. Place in a large saucepan with the redberries, the sugar and the red wine.
  3. Cook with a lid on high heat until it reaches a boil then reduce the heat to medium to get a simmer and cook until the rhubarb is tender (about 20 minutes).
  4. You can choose to leave the compote as it is or blend it partially (or fully). I like to blend it a little bit with a blending stick. Keep on the stove a little longer if you wish to reduce the juices further.
  5. Now for the crumble: mix together the very soft butter, flour, sugar, walnuts and pistachios.  Rub between your hands until you get a sandy to gravelly texture.
  6. You are now ready to put together the crumble. Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Use an oven-proof dish and pour in it 4-5 cm thick of the red ruby rhubarb and berries compote.  Cover with the crumble mix
  7. Cook for half an hour or until the topping of the crumble has reached a brown colour. The liquid may come over the crumble, that’s fine.
  8. Cool a little before serving. You can also serve this at room temperature.

rhubarb

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two different chocolate cakes

I have recently made two different chocolate cakes.  These two different chocolate cakes combine additional flavours such as cinnamon, apple, or plum, chestnut. Interestingly both have dark rum.

One is a rich dense flourless chocolate cake with flavours of chestnuts and prunes and dark rum, the other one is a light chocolate mousse cinnamon, apple and dark rum dessert.

Gateau Mozart

Cinnamon chocolate mousse and apple gateau

Cinnamon chocolate mousse and apple gateau

This is a recipe from Pierre Hermé “Le Larousse du Chocolat“. Pierre Hermé is a famous french pastry chef, most famous for his macarons.  His cookbook Le Larousse du Chocolat gathers good chocolate recipes across France and some of Pierre Hermé as well.

I had not done the Gateau Mozart for some time (recipe HERE). Imagine three very thin disks of sweet shortcrust pastry with a subtle cinnamon flavour alternating with a light chocolate mousse which contains apples cooked in butter, a pinch of cinnamon and have been flambé !

Cinnamon chocolate mousse and apple gateau

Flourless chestnut, chocolate and rum cake

I found this recipe a while ago in the Delicious Magazine. I had cut out the recipe and placed in my cookbooks.  This recipe intrigued me because of the combination of chestnut and prune and rum.   With chestnut puree, you retain a lot of moisture and the flavour is undeniable. Years ago, I made up a chestnut steamed pudding. It is such a nice dessert. My curiosity was picked.

Flourless chestnut, chocolate and rum cakeFlourless chestnut, chocolate and rum cake Flourless chestnut, chocolate and rum cake

 

Pots de creme au chocolat (Chocolate cream pots)

I have a smile while writing the name of this recipe, the name may indicate there is some cream while in reality there is none. This is a creme anglaise to which chocolate is added and allowed to rest in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. The proportion of eggs is quite high making sure the cream will set.

The recipe is from Alain Ducasse.

petits pots au chocolat

Makes 6.

Ingredients:
  • 6 ramequins (mine are 170 mL when full to the top, 130 mL here to the rib)
  • 6 egg yolks (large eggs)
  • 50 g of caster sugar
  • 1/2 L of full milk
  • 250 g of dark chocolate 70% cocoa
  • 50 g of good quality milk chocolate
Method:
  1. Cut the chocolate with a large knife into small chunks.
  2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy but not so much it becomes too airy
  3. Heat up the milk and por it over the egg and sugar mix while whisking, mix well and return to the saucepan on medium heat until the back of a spoon is slightly covered with the cream. Don’t be tempted to go over that stage, your eggs will cook and scramble.  Never allow the cream to boil.
  4. Pour the cream over the chocolate and mix until all the chocolate is melted and the mix is silky.
  5. Place all the ramequins in a roasting pan. Fill each of them then cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge for at least four hours overnight.

petits pots au chocolat

La Tarte Tatin, the unfailable recipe

The Tarte Tatin is traditionally an apple tarte which fruits are precooked and coasted with caramel. It cooks head down, that is with the pastry on top like for a pie, and the tarte is then flipped onto a serving plate displaying then thick layer of fruits generously caramelised over a crusty pastry. Yum!

The  tin you use does not need to be too wide. Note that this dessert is quite nutritious (plenty butter and sugar).

I wrote a post on THE TIP which makes this recipe a foolproof success!  I didn’t make it up, only tumbled over it one happy day.  The secret is in the way the fruits are cooked, instead of cooking them in a fry-pan, they cook in a volume of water with sugar, vanilla and butter. Don’t discard that beautiful butter sauce, you can use it for a semolina cake or just plain semolina or any other creative idea.

Note: you can choose to use a shortcrust pastry (not sweet) or here I have chosen puff pastry.

Tatin poires
This is a pear tarte Tatin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serves 8 people.

Ingredients:
  • 150 g of caster sugar for the caramel
  • 300 g of  sugar for the fruits cooking
  • 300 g of unsalted butter
  • 300 ml of water
  • 1 vanilla bean, beans scrapped and placed in the water with the remaining bean.
  • 6 to 8 large apples
  • 1 quantity of puff pastry
  • Apple jelly or apricot jam to brush the top for a nice finish (I did not do it on the tartes displayed here)
Method:
  1. Quarter (half only if using pears), peel and core your fruits.
  2. Heat up the oven to 170°C
  3. Place the fruits, water, butter, sugar (300 g) and vanilla in a saucepans and bring to a small boil.  Cook until the fruits are just tender through (use a skewer to check).
  4. The tin you will use is important. It should be non stick and fully closed (at the bottom) i.e. a springform baking tin is not your best option here. An aluminium tin is the best here.
  5. In a thick bottom saucepan, place the rest of the sugar and heat up. When the sugar starts to dissolve and colour, do not be tempted to mix with a spoon, however you can shake the saucepan to distribute the sugar evenly. When your caramel is of a brown (do not go too dark), pour into the tin and making sure your hands are protected from the heat (use tea towels to handle the tin), turn the tin to distribute the caramel on the bottom and lower half of the sides.
  6. While the apples are cooking, you can roll the puff pastry out (unless you have some pre-rolled one) to 3 to 4 mm thickness.
  7. When the fruits are ready, allow them to cool down. This is only to avoid burning your fingertips though, so if you are in a hurry, skip this.
  8. Place the fruits quite close to each other over the caramel their outer face pointing partially up (see the photo of the tarte, this should make sense).
  9. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry on top is well golden.
  10. Allow to cool in the tin to warm before turning over.  You can then brush some apple jelly or apricot jam (dilute it with a bit of hot water before).
  11. Serve warm with a dollop of creme fraiche or some whipped cream.

Autumn cooking. Today lets speak about pears

Autumn or early winter cooking, what does this means for you? I heard yesterday someone saying this was the return of roasts in their households. For some others it is chestnuts in the fire-place or a glass of red wine by the fire.  For me at home it is the return of pears, lemons, chestnuts, apples, wild mushrooms and in terms of dishes this is the return of soups and more slow cooked meat dishes or casseroles.

Pears variety in Australia

The main stream pear varieties are  the beurre bosc pear,  the packham pear and the corella pear.   Those varieties are also referred as “european pears”.  The William pear comes from the beurre bosc and is a northern America pear where it is known as the barlett. It is classified as a european pear.

There is a good fact sheet on the varieties and their availability through the Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL) website.

The beurre bosc is elongated golden to  pear varietylight brown skin pear.  The skin is quite thick, the flesh is compact , yet very tasty.

 

 

 

pearThe william pear arrives earlier in the season, late summer to early autumn.  It is of medium size, not so elongated as the beurre bosc with quite a round belly.  The william is green when unripe and becomes yellow with or without red parts when ripe. It is a good pear to eat raw, it can also be cooked.

 

The packham pear is a parent of thepear variety william pear and looks quite like it. It is a medium so large size pear, green when unripe and a beautiful yellow when ripe.  When ripe it is juicy and very tasty.  The pear is consumed raw or cooked.

 

 

 

pear varietyCorella pears are quite small, yellow to red in colour.  Their flesh is juicy and milder in flavour than the william, beurre bosc or packham pear.  This pear variety is also good both for cooking and raw.

 

There is also the nashi pear also called “asian pear” variety  which is currently found on markets. The nashi pear is small, quite round, of light colour. It is very juicy with quite a bland taste.

Pear & Nutmeg Cake with Chocolate Sauce

I loved for a while those cake with the pears standing upright directly inside the cake. So last week, apparently it was my “mother’s day cake” made by me for me ….and family.

The cake recipe is based on a “quatre quarts” recipe, a French classic cake where flour, sugar, eggs and butter are at equal weight.  I decreased the quantity of sugar, swapped a little flour for hazelnut meal (which I don’t think made much of a difference), added cocoa and a little nutmeg. The pears can be pre-cooked in a sugar syrup if not ripe, else, it is not necessary to cook them.

The cake is cooked until just set, which will leave the middle soft and gooey.  The cake is served with a warm chocolate sauce.

pear chocolate dessert pear chocolate dessert pear chocolate dessert

The recipe is HERE.

 

 

Standing pear chocolate cake with its sauce

For this standing pear  chocolate cake, you will need some small pears, preferably ripe, although not so much they crumble in your fingers.  If your pears aren’t ripe, you should cook them partly in a sugar syrup . Note, there are many ways with sugar syrups for pears, for example, if you don’t have any wine for the poaching, you can use orange juice.  The flavour will be different but still beautiful.

As for the nutmeg, I was experimenting and probably put a little too much (1/2 teaspoon) which was not overbearing but maybe not to everyone’s taste. I have reduced it in the recipe. You could also put a pinch of cayenne pepper or medium chilli powder.

pear chocolate dessert

Ingredients:

For the cake

  • 5 small ripe pears, peeled and cored from the bottom, stem on
  • 4 eggs (about 60 g each)
  • 160 g of sugar
  • 200 g of butter, melted
  • 30 g of hazelnut meal
  • 140 g of plain flour
  • 1 tsp of raising powder
  • 1/4 tsp of freshly grounded nutmeg
  • 60 g dutch cocoa

For the chocolate sauce (from Pierre Herme):

  • 250 ml of water
  • 125 ml of cream
  • 130 g of dark 70% chocolate
  • 70 g of sugar
Preparation:
  1. Line the bottom and side of a springform pan, about 25 cm wide (it can be less but no wider).
  2. Preheat oven to 170°C.
  3. Mix the eggs and sugar until quite moussy. Add in melted butter, nutmeg, cocoa powder and hazelnut meal.
  4. Add in the flour and raising powder.
  5. Pour the batter into the lined mould, placing on pear in the middle and the other pears evenly as a ring.  Make sure there is batter underneath each pear.
  6. Bake until just set (about 30-40 minutes, it varies between ovens), the cake will show a few cracks on the sides and the top does not appear wobbly when the cake tin is slightly pushed.  Allow the cake to cool down a little (or more if time allows) before transferring to a serving plate.   The cake will collapse in the middle as it should still be gooey.
  7. To prepare the chocolate sauce, cut the chocolate in small pieces.  Place in a thick based saucepan the water, sugar, cream and chocolate.  Slowly heat up and stir until smooth with a wooden spoon. Bring to boiling point and simmer while stirring constantly until the sauce becomes unctuous and covers the back of the wooden spoon.  Use the sauce hot, or allow to cool at room temperature and use warm.  The excess sauce keeps in the fridge for two weeks.

Tip-  transferring the cake can be a little tricky.  I use the removable metal bottom of a tart tin as a very large spatula. 

Tip – Keep the cake at room temperature if leftovers (i.e. not in the fridge).

pear chocolate dessert

Lemon curd addiction!

Lemon curd addiction

Lemons seem to be in full season again at the moment. I must have ten of them laying around either the fruit bowl and the fridge.  The season for lemonade has passed somehow and I have yet to learn to preserve lemons. So for now, one use of the lemons is in lemon curd desserts.

Lemon curd is not hard to make, you need to go slowly but you don’t necessarily need a bain marie to make it, that means it takes 10 minutes maximum!  Also once made, it keep for a few weeks in the fridge!

Lemon curd addiction is easy to catch, except if you do not have much of a sweet tooth. Since lemon curd can be quite overpowering, best is to counter balance the sugar and acidity or have it in small quantities only.

Our biggest family lemon curd addiction: the lemon curd pudding

I have finally shared this one with you. Looking back in my photos, I have many versions of it: family size, individual in ramequin and steamed and turn over versions! Yum.

This has been one of Ambrine’s favourite dessert for a few years now. Lemon curd at the bottom nd cake top over it.  It is rapid to make and is always beautiful.

Check out the recipe and its versions HERE.

ramequin lemon curd pudding

Lemon curd tiramisu

I posted this one some time ago, but it is well worth a reminder. Again use as family size of build in individual dishes!  Recipe HERE.

lemon curd tiramisu

Lemon curd tartlets

What an endless classic. They key here is to have them not too large.   The dough is a short pastry.  Other versions that the one proposed here can be used. You will need to precook them. As my Bonne Maman (the name we gave to my grandma) used to say, we are making “tartes aux cailloux” or pebble pie.

lemon curd tartlets

Lemon and lime tart

This is a little bit more involved and the pastry is a little delicate to make. That said it is well worth it.  The lemon curd cooks in the oven, a  little bit as a sweet quiche. Recipe HERE.

lemon curd

Lemon curd puddings

This lemon curd pudding is one of our favourite. It is quick to make and really easy. I either make it as individual portions as here on the photos or family version in a larger souffle dish.  The pudding consists in a lemon curd (don’t be afraid, read on, you can’t get it wrong) and a cake batter.

ramequin lemon curd pudding

Ingredients:

This makes 8 serves.

For the lemon curd
  • 120 g of butter
  • 170 g of white sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 175 g of lemon juice (about 2 good lemons)

Tip: the bright yellow colour  is linked to the egg yolks, the brighter your eggs, the more vibrant the lemon curd.

For the biscuit

160 g of butter
160 g of castor sugar
3 eggs
160 g of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp grated lemon zest

Method
Lemon curd:
  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan with the lemon juice and sugar.
  2. In a medium bowl, break the eggs and beat them well with a whisk (to homogeneise them). Bring the warm liquid to boiling point.
  3. As soon as bubbles appear on the sides, pur it over the eggs while whisking.  It is very important you whisk all the time to disperse the heat and avoid omelette pieces in your curd.  It is possible the curd will be thickening on its own at this stage, if that is the case, no need to transfer back in the pan and cook further, keep whisking at low pace until the curd cools down a bit more (30 second to 1 minute).  If the curd has not thickened yet, then pour it back to the saucepan, always whisking and place it on medium heat. Keep mixing until the curd thickens then transfer to a clean bowl.

Tip: Want to know when your curd is at the right thickness? If the curd coats the back of a clean spoon (it doesn’t all run away), then it is ready.

Tip: Your lemon curd will further thicken when cooling down.

The pudding

Tip: If you are choosing the turn over steamed version , you will need to line bottoms with greaseproof paper circles. This would not be necessary if you are using silicone moulds. You will also need to cover the ramequins in foil and cook in a large roasting dish with water coming to 1/2 height. 

  1. Heat up the oven to 170ºC
  2. Grease eight small 150 mL ramequins or pudding bowls.
  3. Cream butter and sugar.
  4. Add the eggs on at a time, mix.
  5. Add the flour, baking powder and lemon zest. Mix well.
  6. Spoon two generous tablespoons of lemon curd into each ramequin.
  7. Spoon the biscuit dough over the lemon curd trying to cover it fully.
  8. Bake for about 20 minutes until well golden.  (for the steam version allow 30 min).
  9. Serve warm. Careful it is very hot when just out off the oven.   If unmoulding the steamed pudding, run a gentle knive around the outside of each pudding before turning out.
Other versions
The turn-over lemon curd pudding
The family  version lemon curd pudding
family lemon curd pudding
Yellow lava coming through the top! Yum!

 

Another breakfast option: pain perdu

The origin of Pain Perdu

Before we speak about pain perdu for breakfast, lets look at its origin.

Pain perdu means “lost bread” in French.  In France, most families buy fresh bread everyday because fresh bread is so much better than left over bread when it is time for lunch or diner, plus bread is a key staple of the French diet and relatively cheap (a third of the price paid in Australia for good bread).  In France, left over bread is often used for toast at the next breakfast. There are times there is just too much bread.  This is where pain perdu comes in handy.   Pain perdu in France is often served as a dessert. The transition onto the breakfast menu is an american input.

I did a post some time ago on breakfast options, have a look HERE for direct access to those recipes.

Many ways with pain perdu

Pain perdu is very versatile.  You can make it with any bread or brioche. You can have it thin or thick. Finally, you can serve it with yoghurt and berries, or with brown sugar, or with jam, etc. Some serve it surrounded by milk.  As a dessert, it could be served with creme anglaise.   There are many options to explore!

The way at home

When I grew up, pain perdu was a dessert that my mother prepared from time to time. She made with older bread, which she cut quite thick. I remember eating it with jam or soft brown sugar.

Here at home, I serve it for breakfast and I make it with sliced brioche.  The children like it plain with a few pieces of fruits, I like to add yogurt.

The recipe is really simple (and you can adapt it to your taste), so give it a go, it is HERE.

brioche pain perdu breakfast brioche pain perdu breakfast brioche pain perdu breakfast

Flan Patissier

If you have been to France, you would have seen the Flan Patissier in bakeries or maybe had a serve in a bistro.  The flan patissier is a classic french dessert, it is alike a baked custard.  Some versions of the flan patissier include a shortcrust pastry.  My version does not have it. I grew up with that version, I prefer it as such.  The pastry makes unmoulding easier, otherwise I do not find it adds much to the dessert as a whole.

To make it quite thick – I find it looks amazing like that! – you will need either a narrow baking dish (17 cm diameter) or you need to double the recipe like I did for the photo session!

flan

 

Serves 5

Ingredients:
  •  2 eggs
  • 1/2 vanilla bean (you can also use some of the vanilla powder you find in gourmet spice shops)
  • 80 g white sugar
  • 700 mL of milk
  • 75 g of corn flour
  • 300 mL of cream
Method:
  1. Heat up the oven on 180°C, butter and flour the tin (use a spring form one if you have one).

    Note: if you are making the single proportions above, you can use a ceramic tart dish to bake it it and serve it directly as such (my Mum always did that!). 

  2. Scrap the vamilla beans and place in th milk. Heat up the sugar, milk and cream.
  3. In the meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and corn flour.  Once the milk is hot, pour the equivalent of a laddle in the egg mi and mix well, add the rest. Mix well before returning to the saucepan and, using a whisk, keep stiring. The custard will thicken. Once it becomes thicker remove from the heat an transfer to the prepared tin.  Flatten the top with a spatula.
  4. Bake for 45 minutes or until browned to dark on the top. It may look a little burnt, don’t worry this is normal.
  5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before unmoulding.
  6. Serve warm or completely cooled down at room temperature. If unmoulding, first use a sharp knive to make sure the flan does not stick to the edges of the tin.

Tip: you can add soaked sultanas, a couple spoons of rhum or chocolate chips to make it a little different.

flan

Chocolate Souffle

I love a good generous chocolate souffle. It is really quick to prepare, and cooks quickly too. And it is deliciouuuuuus.  I prefer the souffle family version or sharing version, that it in a big tall round dish.  This is a personal taste, some may prefer the individual ramequins.  This recipe is from a French magazine called “ricardo cuisine“, I have adapted the recipe (essentially removed the sugar, it is not necessary).

souffle au chocolat
Chocolate souffle and cake – here the souffle has already deflated.

For a successful souffle (any souffle, not just chocolate), there are a few rules to follow:

  1. Do NOT open the oven door while the souffle is cooking. The sudden drop of temperature is very likely to make your souffle collapse and it will not rise again.  when you check for donesness, do it quickly and do not remove the dish from the oven
  2. Serve you souffle as soon as possible once out of the oven because it always deflates a little and seeing the souffle change shape is fun too!
  3. The souffle needs either to be baked in ramequins or in a large dish with tall vertical edges, what is important is that the width is about 1.5 size the height of the sides, not much more, and the sides must be vertical.
  4. Make sure your egg whites are well beaten and inserted without breaking them i.e. they need to be folded in, not mixed in!

For a chocolate souffle. there are a few ways to go about it.  Here, there is nothing very technical, so all good. Choose a good quality cooking chocolate, a 55-60% cocoa is best if the souffle is also for children, otherwise feel free to use 70% cocoa cooking chocolate.

tea and treat

Ingredients:
  • 140 g dark cooking chocolate
  • 3 medium eggs
  • 125 mL of milk
  • 1 tbsp corn flour
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • A nut of butter and caster sugar for the dish
Method:
  1. Butter the dish and coat over with caster sugar.
  2. Heat up the oven to 180°C.
  3. Separate the egg white and egg yolks. Mix the cornflour and cream of tartar with the egg yolks.
  4. In a saucepan, melt the chocolate in the milk.  As it is melted, remove from the fire and mix and add in the cornflour/eggyolk mix.
  5. Beat the eggwhites until firm. Add to the chocolate mix and gently fold in. Transfer to the tin.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes or until the top of the souffle is steady when gently poked and cracks have appeared on the top.  If you want it not so oozy in the centre, allow for a little longer.
  7. Serve immediately but be careful, it is hot!

Tip: if there are left overs, keep those at room temperature for the next day!  (not in the fridge please).

goozy inside
Oozy chocolate souffle…Yum!