Spiced Chocolate Soufflés

 Once upon a time, I shared an exquisite Mexican Chocolate Soufflé with a romantic date at a cozy dessert bar in Old Pasadena. We closed the place, over sweet conversation and plans to meet again. Our soirée ended there, I’m sorry to report. The dessert, not the date, became the new object of my obsession.

So I taught myself how to make something just like that. Now I’m challenging you, this Valentines Day season, to perfect this no-fuss, so-easy-yet-so-gorgeous dessert just as I did.

You’ll start by melting the best-quality milk and dark chocolate that you can ransom into more pure, fine-quality ingredients - butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and pinches of cayenne and spices. Baked to perfection, that alchemy will equal perfect mini-soufflés.

Those beautiful little things will call immediately, to be topped with simple caramel sauce of pure whipping cream, dark brown sugar (I love Muscovado if you can find it), and Kahlua.

See how easy that was?!

Enjoying this dessert warm is positively essential.

Spiced Chocolate Soufflés  

Butter and sugar for preparing ramekins

1 cup fine-quality dark chocolate pieces (ideally about 65% dark)

1 cup fine-quality milk chocolate pieces

4 Tbs. unsalted butter

6 Tbs. sugar

1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract

1 Tbs. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. cayenne

4 eggs, room temperature, separated into yolks and whites

Warm Caramel-Kahlua Sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and sugar 6 small ramekins or custard cups. Gently wipe the top rims of cups in preparation for soufflés. Place prepared cups on rimmed baking sheet.

In medium saucepan over low flame, melt chocolate with butter and sugar, stir constantly until smooth. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, cinnamon and cayenne.

In large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks until creamy. Gradually add chocolate mixture to egg yolks by whisking, and combine thoroughly. Transfer mixture to large bowl.

In separate bowl, with electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Starting with a small portion of whipped egg whites, gently fold whites into chocolate mixture in large bowl; combine well. Evenly distribute mixture between ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes. Gently remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Serve per instructions following Sauce recipe.

Prepare Warm Caramel-Kahlua Sauce:

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 Tbsp Kahlua

In small saucepan over medium-high flame, place brown sugar and whipping cream. Whisk to combine well. Bring to a boil, allow to boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Kahlua.

Serve souffles:

Place each little souffle with a spoon, on a serving plate. With the tip of a sharp paring knife, gently cut a shallow slit at the top of each cake, and pour warm sauce to fill the cut and top the cake. Pass any remaining sauce while enjoying warm soufflés.

Yields 6 servings.