Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflé with Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients

Soufflé

• 7 ounces DAGOBA 59% dark chocolate, chopped
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 5 additional large egg whites
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup sugar

Sauce

• 4 (2-ounce) bars DAGOBA 59% dark chocolate, finely chopped *
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
• Pinch of salt

• Slightly sweetened whipped cream for serving, optional

Directions

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 425° F. Butter a 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish and dust it with cocoa, shaking out excess. Have a 9-by-13-inch baking pan ready and put a kettle of water on to boil for the water bath.

To make the soufflé: Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of about 1 1/2 inches of nearly simmering water, whisking until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the 5 egg yolks and the butter until smooth and combined well.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the 10 egg whites and salt in a large bowl until the egg whites form soft peaks when the beaters are lifted. Beat in the sugar about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat just until the whites form stiff peaks.

With a whisk or a rubber spatula, whisk one-quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly, and pour the mixture into the soufflé dish. Place the dish in the baking pan, place it in the oven, and add enough boiling water to the pan to reach about 2-inches up the sides of the soufflé dish. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the soufflé is set but the center is still jiggly and soft.

Meanwhile, to make the sauce: Melt the chocolate with the half-and-half, sugar, and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of about 1 1/2 inches of nearly simmering water, whisking until smooth. Use immediately, or let cool to room temperature, transfer to a glass jar, and refrigerate, tightly covered until ready to use. (The sauce will keep for up to 2 months.) Gently reheat before serving, if necessary.

Serve immediately, with the chocolate sauce, and whipped cream, if using.

Note: If you can't find the specific chocolate called for, you can substitute another chocolate with about the same intensity-the higher the percent of cacao solids (labeled as % cacao) in a bar, the more intense the chocolate flavor. Bars labeled simply as bittersweet, semisweet or dark can be used in any recipe calling for any recipe calling for chocolate of less than 70% cacao.