Chocolate Souffle

Mmm. Chocolate souffle. So good, y'all. We really enjoyed this tonight--like we'd think that anything involving chocolate was bad. It is light (the texture, not the calories!), very rich, and decadent. Although this recipe is nearly identical to the one for Molten Chocolate Cakes, I still prefer my molten darlings. I just like the texture better. But the souffle was quite good, too.

(By the way, does anyone know how to do an accent mark in blogger? Like, for souffle'?)

I decided it'd be fun to use a flavored chocolate, just to mix it up a little bit. So I found this:
Oh my, it is quite incredible straight out of the package. Really, really good. I actually wanted to find some chocolate with chili in it, but the only variety my store had was chili cherry chocolate, which I thought was pretty weird. So I went with the orange, instead. Feel free to just do regular chocolate, too. :)

Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

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Chocolate Souffle

6 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 Tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. rum, coffee, or water
3 large egg yolks
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 375. Prepare a 7" or 1-1/2 quart souffle dish (I used my Corningware again) by smearing softened butter on the sides and bottom, then coating with sugar and tapping out the excess.

Combine the chocolate, butter, and rum/coffee/water in a metal or glass bowl. Set the bowl in a skillet of hot but not simmering water, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes, then whisk in the egg yolks.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy, then add the cream of tartar. Beat on hight speed until soft peaks form. Then, gradually beat in the sugar. Continue beating on high until peaks are stiff but not dry.

Using a rubber spatula, stir one third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remaining whites. Pour the batter into the prepared souffle dish, and smooth the top. Bake until the souffle is risen and set, 25 to 30 minutes.