Grand Marnier Soufflés with Crème Anglaise

A soufflé is a light cake made from egg yolks and beaten egg whites mixed in with other flavors. One of my favorite desserts in Portland is the Chocolate Soufflé from Veritable Quandary. It is light as air, and the bittersweet chocolate is simply heavenly. I don't feel a twinge of guilt after I finish the entire thing since it isn't dense and overly sweet like some other desserts tend to be. So, instead of replicating the chocolate souffle [and ruining the memory of my favorite dessert], I decided to make a Grand Marnier souffle as my first attempt. I can already see the endless possibilities in souffle flavors, and I assure you there will be more to come :).

When you attempt to make this, be sure to keep an eye on the oven. These are very delicate and a lighter colored souffle will not be as forgiving as a chocolate one in showing show signs of where hot spots in the oven are.

Also, be sure to enjoy these quickly once you take them out of the oven. These deflate the second you poke open the center. I barely got a successful photo at Veritable Quandary when the waiter prepared my souffle, so these photos were the best I could do :) [given I only had 2 hands]. Either way, this was so delish and I will definitely be making this again.

---

Crème Anglaise
Yield: 1 2/3 cups

1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch


1. In a small saucepan, bring half-and-half and heavy cream just to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl until slightly thickened and pale, about 2 minutes.

3. Add hot cream mixture gradually while whisking.

4. Return custard to saucepan. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly. Keep cooking until a thermometer reaches 180°F, about 5 minutes. Do not let custard boil.

5. Transfer custard to a clean bowl and set aside. Let it cool down a bit, stirring occasionally. When serving, reheat sauce if desired.

---

Grand Marnier Souffles with Crème Anglaise
Adapted from Epicurious
Yield: 4 servings

3 Tbsp butter [unsalted]
3 Tbsp AP flour
1/2 cup whole milk

4 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar

3 egg yolks
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp orange zest
2 Tbsp Grand Marnier


1. In a small heavy saucepan, melt 3 Tbsp butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook for about 3 minutes, whisking constantly.

2. Add milk and cook over moderate heat, whisking, until mixture is very thick.

3. Once milk mixture pulls away from sides of pan, transfer to another bowl and cool for 5 minutes.

4. In a mixer bowl, beat whites until soft peaks form. Then gradually beat in 1/2 cup sugar. Continue beating meringue until stiff peaks form.

5. In a large bowl whisk together yolks, vanilla, orange zest, and a pinch salt.

6. Then whisk in milk mixture [from step 3] and Grand Marnier.

7. Whisk in a cup of the meringue.

8. Carefully, use a rubber spatula and fold in remaining meringue.

9. Make sure there are no more meringue clumps.

10. Butter and sugar ramekins.

11. Spoon batter into ramekins, filling to the rim. Arrange ramekins in a baking pan - add enough hot water to reach halfway up sides of the ramekins.

12. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, or until puffed and tops are golden. Serve immediately!

13. Use 2 forks to pull apart the center of each souffle, and pour some crème anglaise into them.

14. Enjoy :)

---

Notes: These souffles deflate within minutes, so eat immediately :) Sprinkle some powdered sugar over them if desired. Also, the crème anglaise will keep in the fridge for 2 days, covered. So you can prepare that ahead of time if needed.

Grand Marnier Souffle