Recipe

Chocolate Soufflé with Chocolate Sauce and Whipped Cream

The Fearrington House Cookbook adapts this classic from Edna Lewis and the acclaimed chef’s time at the beloved North Carolina restaurant

Recipe by Jenny Fitch and Edna Lewis

September 27, 2022

Photo: Courtesy of The Fearrington House

[The late] Edna Lewis, one of America’s foremost authorities on Southern food, spent almost a full year as a guest chef at Fearrington House. She is the author of cookbooks that weave history and tradition with food.

This recipe is our adaptation of the chocolate soufflé made famous by Ms. Lewis. It differs from the original in sweetness and in the thickness of the chocolate sauce.

If the base of the soufflé should curdle after blending it with the milk, beat in warm half-and-half by the tablespoon until the mixture becomes smooth.—Jenny Fitch, from her 1987 classic The Fearrington House Cookbook, which G&G columnist Vivian Howard revisits with affection here.

Ingredients

Chocolate Soufflé with Chocolate Sauce and Whipped Cream (Yield: 6 portions)
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp. flour
- 1 cup milk
- 6 tbsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 pinch of salt
- 8 oz. unsweetened chocolate
- 12 egg whites
- ½ tsp. cream of tartar
- Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish
- 1 recipe Chocolate Soufflé Sauce (recipe follows)
- ½ pint heavy cream, whipped and sweetened
Chocolate Soufflé Sauce (Yield: Approx. 2 cups)
- 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, cut into pieces
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup half-and-half
- 1 tsp. vanilla

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Melt butter, add flour, and cook over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly. Heat milk and add it all at once, whisking rapidly. Add sugar, vanilla, and salt.

Melt chocolate over the lowest setting possible, cool slightly, and blend with the milk mixture.

Beat egg whites until they are foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue beating until they hold stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the chocolate mixture.

Butter six 8-ounce ramekins and fill each 2/3 full with the soufflé mixture. Bake for 8–10 minutes. Dust the tops of the soufflé with confectioners’ sugar. Serve immediately with a small pitcher of chocolate and whipped cream.

For the chocolate soufflé sauce: Melt the chocolate in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over very low heat. Remove from heat and add sugar and salt. Heat cream and half-and-half until just under a boil. Slowly add to the chocolate mixture, stirring constantly.

Return the chocolate mixture to the stove and heat gently until completely smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cool to room temperature. Adjust consistency with additional cream if necessary. This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. Reheat in a double boiler.