“A new take on a classic, designed for a truly gourmet experience: nice and crisp on the outside with a runny, warm center. In this way, the soufflé is great from the first to the very last mouthful. I serve it with a Madagascar vanilla ice cream—my favorite—giving it a little roundness and balancing the intensity of the chocolate.”
For the Vanilla Ice Cream
- 17 2/3 ounces (500 g) whole milk
- 2 2/3 ounces (75 g) heavy cream
- 2 Bourbon vanilla beans
- 4 1/2 ounces (125 g) superfine sugar
- 1 1/2 ounces (40 g) custard powder
- 1 1/4 ounces (35 g) dextrose
- 1/10 ounce (3 g) stab 2 000 ice cream stabilizer
- 4 egg yolks (80 g)
Molds
- 100 g de beurre
- 100 g de sucre semoule
Soufflé
- 7 1/2 ounces (210 g) dark chocolate ( Valrhona® Caribbean 66%)
- 7 ounces (200 g) whole milk
- 2 egg yolks (40 g)
- 1/3 ounce (10 g) cornstarch
- 6 egg whites (180 g)
- 2 1/8 ounces (60 g) superfine sugar
Instructions
Step 1: For the Vanilla Ice Cream
Combine the milk and cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the split and scraped vanilla beans and let infuse for 2 hours. Strain through a conical strainer.
Heat the infused milk to 105°F (40°C). Mix 2 1/3 ounces (65 g) of superfine sugar with the custard powder, dextrose, and Stab 2000 ice cream stabilizer. Sprinkle this mixture into the heated milk and bring everything to a boil.
In the meantime, whisk three egg yolks with 2 1/8 ounces (60 g) of superfine sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Add one-third of the infused milk, mix, return to the pan, then cook to 180°F (83°C). Strain through a conical strainer, let cool, then churn in an ice cream maker. Portion the ice cream in small cups or pots and set aside in the freezer.
Step 2: Molds
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). The times and temperatures given are only a rough guide and need to be adapted to your oven. Grease six soufflé molds with softened butter, let harden in the refrigerator, then grease again. Dust with superfine sugar.
Step 3: Soufflé
Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler. Put the milk into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Mix the egg yolks with the cornstarch, add the hot milk, then return to the pan. Bring to a boil.
Add the melted chocolate and blend with an immersion (stick) blender until smooth.
Beat the egg whites with the sugar to stiff peaks in a stand mixer. When beaten, add one-third of this mixture to the chocolate mixture. Fold in gently, then add the rest of the beaten egg whites.
Fill the prepared molds to a half inch (1 cm) from the rim. Bake for 10 minutes to keep the inside slightly runny. Serve immediately with the vanilla ice cream.
This recipe was originally published in "My Best Claire Heitzler" (Éditions Alain Ducasse). See all credits
