Chocolate souffles with orange blossom cream

A few months after I moved to America, Scott's parents got us a subscription to Bon Appetit. When the end of each month approaches, I start checking the mailbox everyday to see if the new issue has arrived. After it arrives, I go over the whole magazine once a day for about a whole week, observing the delicious looking pictures and selecting the recipes that I want to make. We have cooked many dishes from Bon Appetit and none of them has ever disappointed us. 

For my first post, I have chosen a dessert that I had never made before. A souffle. It is from the February 2011 issue (all the recipes are also online at the Bon Appetit website). I chose this recipe for three reasons. First of all, the picture of the souffle in the magazine made me want to eat the page, no kidding. Second of all, the recipe called for orange flower water. I know that doesn't sound like a reason, but just wait a second and let me tell you a story.

Orange blossom water is an ingredient that I only have seen in Roscon de Reyes, a typical Spanish sweet bread that we eat on Three Kings Day. So a couple months ago, I felt like making Roscon de Reyes, but I didn't know where to find orange blossom water here in DC. If you ask Google, it will tell you to go to a Middle Eastern market. Thanks Google, like I live in a neighborhood surrounded by Middle Eastern markets. However, there is always a plan B, and it's called Amazon.com. I think Amazon is about to pass Google in my personal ranking of best things ever. So I went on Amazon and I found it (of course). Amazon 1 - Google 0. When the package arrived, I realized that I had bought EIGHT bottles of orange blossom water (yeah, I do that, I buy things not knowing what I'm actually buying). So I found space to store them in one of the least reachable cabinets in our very small kitchen, and then forgot about it, until today (I never made Roscon de Reyes).

The third reason (if you remember, 3 reasons made me want to make this) is that Rachel (Scott's sister) lent us her KitchenAid mix master a few days ago. KitchenAids are not a thing in Spain. Most people there don't even know what it is, so I had never even used one. To make this recipe, you have to whip cream and beat egg whites, and for those my friend, you have to have a KitchenAid (or a Thermomix, of course, the Spanish counterpart).

So I made the souffles and this is the result:

Well, it was the result. There recipe makes eight. I made the whole recipe but I only baked four and refrigerated the remaining batter. Scott ate 3 of them. He says, and I agree, that these things are amazingly good. I am so happy I chose this as the first recipe. It is so good!

So here it is, the first recipe:

Bittersweet cocoa souffles with Orange Blossom Cream

From Bon Appetit, makes 8

For the cream: 

1 cup chilled whipping cream

1 and 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp finely grated orange peel

1 tsp orange blossom water

Beat all ingredients in medium bowl until peaks form. Cover and refrigerate.

For the souffles:

1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
2/3 cup plus 2 tbsp whole milk
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 egg yolks
1 tsp  vanilla extract
4 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used chocolate chips).
Butter and more sugar for the ramekins.

Butter eight individual ramekins and dust them with sugar.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Whisk 1/2 cup sugar, flour, and 1/8 teaspoon (scant) salt in small saucepan. Add 3 tablespoons of milk and whisk until you get a thick paste. Gradually whisk in remaining milk except 2 tablespoons. Stir over medium heat until slightly thickened (it can take a while). Transfer mixture to large bowl. Add cocoa powder, remaining 2 tablespoons milk, 2 egg yolks, and vanilla. Stir until smooth, thick paste forms.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, beating on high speed until firm peaks form. Add 1/4 of whites to chocolate mixture and fold to blend. Add remaining beaten egg whites and chopped chocolate and fold until whites are just blended into batter. Divide batter among prepared ramekins. The more you fill them, the more they rise. Bake in bottom third of oven for about 12 minutes.

Pour a couple spoonfuls of the cream over each souffle and enjoy!