Chocolate Soufflé

Note

Make the full recipe rather than halve it, in part because it can be frozen, and in part because it's hard to whip up half the yolks with the standing mixer. 

A video is available here.

Ingredients

5 T unsalted butter (1 T softened, remaining cut into 1/4" chunks)

1/3 C granulated sugar plus extra for coating the ramekins

8 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped coarse (or chips)

1/8 t table salt

1/2 t vanilla

1 T orange liqueur, pref. Grand Marnier

6 lg egg yolks

8 lg egg whites

1/4 t cream of tartar

2 T powdered sugar

Instruction

1. Coat 8 one-cup ramekins with the softened butter, then coat the inside of each evenly with about 1 T sugar (probably more). Refrigerate until ready to fill.
2. Melt chocolate and remaining 4 T of butter in a medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Turn off heat and stir in salt, vanilla, and orange liqueur. Remove bowl from pan.
3. In a standing mixer with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat on medium high to soft peaks. Add confectioners sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Clean whisk. Set whipped whites aside or in another bowl if you only have one mixer bowl.
4. Place egg yolks in standing mixer bowl (it does not need to be cleaned before you do this), and attach cleaned whisk.
5. In a small saucepan, bring 1/3 C sugar and 2 T water to boil then simmer until sugar is dissolved. This takes very little time.
6. Start the mixer and begin beating the egg yolks on medium high. Immediately begin slowly adding the sugar water. Beat until mixture triples in volume and is very light in color, about 3 minutes.
7. Gently fold this mixture into the chocolate mixture, and you can use a whisk to do this. 
8. With the whisk, vigorously stir in 1/4 of whipped whites into the chocolate mixture. Then with a spatula gently fold remaining whites into mixture until just incorporated.
9. Starting with one scoop full in each ramekin, distribute the rest of the mixture evenly, and wipe excess from rim with wet paper towel.
10. Cover with plastic then foil, and freeze until firm, at least three hours. Comments on the recipe say that it can successfully be frozen for up to a month.
11. Oven to 400. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position. Bake on a rimmed cookie sheet until fully risen and fragrant, about 16-23 minutes. Use a spoon to open the top to peek inside. Soufflés should be moist but not fully wet and not completely dry.
12. Serve hot.