Tuesdays with Mommie II: Chocolate Souffles

Guess who's back baking with me?!
I'll give you a hint: you may know her from such baking adventures as Tuesdays with Mommie: Linzer Sables. Yes, it's my ma! She's here visiting us for a few days, and she brought our signature baking move with her:
Seriously, how fun is it to bake with friends and family? (So fun!) She had never made a souffle before so this week's TWD pick was perfect. We got to try something new together, have fun in the kitchen, and eat gobs of chocolate before, during, and after the process.

I'm not going to lie, though, the afternoon had its stressful moments. The egg whites were a little overbeaten, and the ramekins I have were not straight-sided. After we put our babies in the oven, we were overcome with worry. Would they rise? Would they maintain their shape? Fingers crossed!

And the answer is, yes, they rose, and um, they sort of retained their shape. They had some round puffiness going on, but I like to think this just adds to their homemade charm.
The best part, though, was the creme anglaise we made to go with the souffle. I had some fresh mint, so I infused a plain anglaise recipe with fresh mint leaves for several hours, and it gave it the most wonderful minty, refreshing, floral fragrance. It was nothing like mint extract, it was so fresh and herbal. It was the perfect way to cut down on the richness of the souffle. I also served it with fresh raspberries, which is one of my favorite herbal mint accompaniments.

All in all, it was a big success and a great afternoon spent in the kitchen. This recipe isn't my favorite chocolate souffle recipe (that honor goes to this beauty from Epicurious) but it still tasted great in my opinion. And what did everyone else think? I tried to ask, but their mouths were too full of souffle to answer!



For the chocolate souffle recipe, head on over to Susan's blog at She's Becoming DoughMessTic. The fresh mint creme anglaise recipe is after the cut.




Fresh Mint Creme Anglaise
Makes about 1 cup, enough to serve with 3-4 mini souffles

1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup cream
4-5 large mint leaves
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar

Place the milk and the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, and chop or tear the mint leaves. Place the torn leaves in the milk and put a lid on the pot to infuse the flavor, let it set for at least 30 minutes. (Mine sat for more like 2 hours).

Once you're ready to proceed, strain the leaves from the milk and place the pan back on medium heat. Put the yolks in a medium bowl and whisk them, then add the sugar and whisk to combine. When the milk is at a simmer, slowly pour it into the yolks, whisking the whole time, then return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook the custard over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches 175 degrees on a thermometer. Remove it from the heat, pour it through a strainer into a bowl or tupperware, and press clingwrap to the top to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for several hours before use.

Can also be churned into really delicious fresh mint ice cream!