Horray for Souffle!

This semester I am teaching ProStart 2, which is a professionally based class for students looking into the culinary industry. I love it because it is such a small class....only 6 senior boys, and we get to do a lot of cooking. Most days I just give each student a recipe, we put on the radio, they put on their chef jackets and we all just get to work. It's a great atmosphere for them and they are all relaxed and enjoy the class a lot. I enjoy the class a lot too!! It is nice to work at this level with students, really seeing them learn and knowing them and their capabilities. My other classes are just jammed packed with kids and it becomes more about babysitting and making sure they aren't hitting each other with wet towels! Lovely right?

Last week we tried to make a cheese souffle and they all came out bad!! So we did a little research (aka watched Alton Brown from Good Eats makes a souffle) and we tried again! This time we did Chocolate Souffle and they turned out great! This is a picture of them with their souffles.

Here is the recipe for anyone daring to try:

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons sugar
pinch salt
pinch cream of tartar
Directions
Heat oven to 375° F. Use 1 tablespoon of the butter to grease on 16-ounce or two 8-ounce ramekins. Coat the ramekins with the cocoa, tapping out the excess.
In a large bowl, over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and remaining butter. Stir occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Whisk in the yolks one at a time until smooth. Set aside.
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the sugar, salt, and cream of tartar until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Gently fold the egg-white mixture into the chocolate. Spoon into the ramekins. (The recipe can be made to this point up to 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)
Bake until puffed and set, 40 minutes for a 16-ounce soufflé, 20 minutes for two smaller ones. (If baked directly from the refrigerator, add 5 to 10 minutes.) Serve immediately with Custard Sauce.