Chocolate Upside-Down Soufflés, François Payard's
 New York Times Magazine, Feb. 2, 2003
Julia Reed
Yield: 8 servings

1 ½ sticks (6 oz.) unsalted butter plus more for greasing soufflé cups
⅓ cup plus 1 Tbsp. sugar plus more for preparing soufflé cups
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, cut into small pieces
4 large eggs, separated
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 375o. Butter 8 4-ounce soufflé cups or ceramic ramekins and dust them with enough sugar to completely coat bottoms and sides. Melt 1½ sticks butter over medium heat. Remove from heat and add the chocolate pieces. Stir with a whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside. Beat the egg yolks at medium speed with a mixer, gradually adding ⅓ cup sugar. Beat until thick and pale yellow, about 5 or 6 minutes. Pour in the butter and chocolate mixture and mix at low speed just until blended making sure the chocolate mixture is well incorporated. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until foamy and add the lemon juice. Continue beating until soft peaks form. Add the remaining tablespoon of sugar and beat until peaks are stiff and shiny. Stir ¼ of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Gently fold in the rest and spoon into prepared cups. Set the cups in a baking pan. Place the pan in the oven and pour in boiling water until it reaches 1 inch up the sides of the cups. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until the top is firm and a knife inserted near the center comes out almost claen. Remove the pan from the oven and the cups from the pan. Let soufflés sit for 2 minutes. Tuen the cups upside down onto individual dessert plates and unmold soufflés. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Notes: Suggestions by the author include using Valrhona chocolate and serving the soufflés with cold coffee crème anglaise. She also quotes Julia Child as saiing you can even wait an hour after the whites have been added before baking without doing any damage. The author herself recommends three important things: beat the egg white in a standing mixer until they are smooth, shiny and about seven times their volume, fold them in quickly and when they are done serve them quickly, within a maximum of 4 or 5 minutes.


Home Table of Contents Desserts Index