Chocolate Soufflé

1. Gather all the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC).
2. You will need 6 ramekins that are 4 oz (½ cup, 120 ml) each. With a pastry brush, coat the inside of the soufflé ramekins with 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (softened).
3. Put 2 Tbsp sugar inside one ramekin, cover the opening with your hand, and coat all sides. Once the sugar coats the inside of the ramekin, transfer the excess sugar to the next ramekin and repeat. Continue this process until all the ramekins are coated with sugar.

To Make the Soufflé Mixture

1. Chop 3 oz bittersweet chocolate into small pieces.
2. Pour ⅓ cup half-and-half into a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan.
3. Remove from the heat. Make a ganache by adding the chopped chocolate. Stir well until combined and all of the chocolate has melted.
4. Make a double boiler by setting a large mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water. Place the ganache in the mixing bowl.
5. Add ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder and ⅓ cup water, and mix until very hot. Remove from the heat and set aside.
6. Place 8 large egg whites in a stand mixer and whip on medium speed until foamy.
7. Increase the mixer speed to medium high and make a meringue. Add ½ cup sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time. Whip the whites until stiff but do not overwhip.
8. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold about half the meringue into the warm chocolate mixture.
9. Then fold (not mix) the chocolate mixture into the remaining meringue in a stand mixer bowl. Do not deflate the batter. It’s okay if you still see streaks of meringue in the batter.

To Bake and Serve

1. Use a large spoon to gently place the soufflé mixture in the ramekins. Fill to about ¼ inch below the rim of the ramekin. Run your thumb around the rim to remove the excess butter and sugar. Place the ramekins in a baking pan (for easy transfer to and from the oven).
2. Bake at 375°F (190°C) until the soufflé has risen to about 1½ inches above the level of the rim and starts to brown on top, about 11–12 minutes. Remove from the oven and dust the top with confectioners’ sugar. Serve immediately.

To Store

1. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 2–3 days. To reheat, bake the room temperature soufflé in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven for about 6 minutes, until it rises.