Souffle: What rises must fall

I have gotten a few requests for souffle. Most people think souffles belongs to hoity-toity French bakery. But I am happy to inform you that it is no where near the truth. As long as you know how to whip some egg whites, these airy specialties will be pulled out of your own oven perfectly fluffy.

The most well known souffle out there is chocolate souffle. But you can really get creative with just a few basic steps, substitute sweet for savory and you've got yourself breakfast and even dinner. I made some chocolate souffle a few nights ago so I thought I'd start with a dessert souffle. Stay tune for a savory breakfast souffle soon to come.

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
This recipe yields two 6-oz souffle

2 tsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. almond paste or extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat two deep ramekins with melted butter. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. sugar, make sure to coat the sides. Set aside

Combine milk, chocolate chips, 1 Tbsp sugar, almond paste, vanilla, and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until smooth and thick. Whisk in egg yolks one at a time. Cool mixture to room temperature.

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until stiff peaks form. Whisk a third of the whites into the chocolate mixture until there are no streaks. Fold in remaining whites.

Fill prepared ramekins to the top with batter. Bake for 30 minutes until souffles are puffed.

Voila, you just made your very first souffle. The only trick to this French delicacy is it needs to be served right away. Otherwise, like the title of this post, what rises must fall. The souffles will deflate if you wait to long to serve them. Bake these in the oven while you are having dinner and they will be perfect once it's time for dessert.