Dark Chocolate and Pear Souffle
This dark chocolate and pear souffle is a French-inspired dessert built on a simple flour-and-milk base that gets folded with whisked egg whites, dark chocolate chips, and cubes of fresh pear. You bake it at 390F (200C) for 12 to 15 minutes until it rises. It is easier than its reputation suggests.
This was the first time I ever made or ate a souffle, and I absolutely loved it. I had some really juicy pears with a wonderful perfume, from my boyfriend’s parents’ orchard, and had no idea what to make with them, so I surfed the web a little and found an awesome vanilla souffle recipe. I followed the instructions but tweaked the ingredients list a little.
I cannot say it is very easy to make, but it is not complicated either. The juicy pears go beautifully with dark chocolate chips, and I also added a little bit of rum extract for some extra flavor and perfume. It was the first time I made this dark chocolate and pear souffle, but it will surely not be the last.
This Recipe Works If You Need
- A dinner-party finale that looks impressive but uses pantry basics like flour, milk, butter, and eggs.
- A way to use up ripe, fragrant pears before they turn, the way I used the ones from the orchard.
- A small-batch dessert: the mix fills a couple of ramekins, so there is no giant cake to finish.
- A first souffle to build confidence, since the base sauce and the meringue are both forgiving steps.
- A cozy seasonal treat for cooler months, when warm chocolate and soft pear feel right.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is far less scary than it looks. A souffle is really just a thick base lightened with egg whites, and once you see how it comes together you stop being intimidated by it.
- Pear and dark chocolate are a perfect pair. The juicy, perfumed fruit cuts the intensity of the chocolate so neither one overwhelms the other.
- The rum extract adds real depth. Just half a teaspoon brings a warm, aromatic note that lifts the whole dessert.
- It uses simple, everyday ingredients. Butter, flour, milk, sugar, eggs, chocolate chips, and pears are things most kitchens already have.
- It bakes in minutes. Twelve to fifteen minutes in a hot oven and you have a warm, risen dessert ready to serve right away.
Ingredient Notes
Unsalted butter does two jobs here: one tablespoon goes into the base sauce, and you also brush the ramekins with it from the bottom upwards. Use unsalted so you control the salt yourself, and brush in upward strokes so the souffle has a smooth, greased path to climb as it rises.
All-purpose flour is the thickener for the base. You cook one tablespoon of it in the melted butter for a full minute, stirring continuously, before any liquid goes in. That minute cooks off the raw, pasty taste of flour and is the most common step beginners rush.
Hot milk is what turns the butter-and-flour roux into a smooth sauce. Adding it hot, off the heat, helps it blend without lumps. Whisk until smooth before you return the pan to medium heat and bring it to a boil.
Eggs are the structure and the lift. You separate two medium eggs: the yolks enrich the base sauce, and the whites get whisked into the meringue that makes the souffle rise. Separate them carefully, because even a trace of yolk in the whites will keep them from whipping properly.
Powdered sugar is whisked gradually into the egg whites as you build the meringue. Adding it slowly while whisking helps the whites hold air and reach that firm, foamy stage rather than collapsing.
Rum extract is my own tweak to the original vanilla recipe. Half a teaspoon stirred into the warm base gives the dessert extra flavor and perfume without making it boozy. It pairs especially well with the pear and the dark chocolate.
Pears are the heart of this souffle. Peel them and cut them into small cubes so they fold evenly through the batter. Choose ripe, fragrant fruit; the juicier and more perfumed the pear, the better the result, just like the orchard pears that started this whole thing.
Dark chocolate chips bring the rich, slightly bitter contrast to the sweet pear. Four tablespoons folded in at the end give you little pockets of melted chocolate in the finished souffle.
Tips
- Prep the ramekins first. Brush them with butter from the bottom upwards and coat with sugar before you start cooking. The greased, sugared walls give the souffle traction to climb, and the sugar adds a delicate crust.
- Whisk the egg whites until firm and foamy. This is the step that decides whether your souffle rises. By hand it takes about 20 minutes; with a mixer just a couple of minutes. Stop when the whites hold their shape, not before.
- Fold the meringue in thirds. Add the whisked whites to the sauce one-third at a time and stir gently to combine. Folding in stages keeps the air in the whites, which is what makes the souffle light.
- Do not overfill the ramekins. Spoon the mixture in but leave room at the top so the souffle has space to rise instead of spilling over.
- Serve it right away. Souffles are at their tallest straight out of the oven and start to settle as they cool, so have everyone ready at the table before it comes out.
Substitutions and Variations
- Vanilla instead of rum. The recipe that inspired me was a vanilla souffle, so if you would rather skip the rum extract, swap in vanilla extract for a classic, family-friendly flavor.
- Apple in place of pear. If you do not have fragrant pears, finely cubed apple works in the same role; just keep the pieces small so they cook through in the short bake time.
- Chopped dark chocolate. No chips on hand? Roughly chop a bar of dark chocolate into small pieces and fold it in the same way.
- A touch more sweetness. If your pears are on the firm, less-sweet side, you can lean on the powdered sugar in the meringue to balance the bitterness of the dark chocolate.
Storage and Make Ahead
A souffle is best eaten the moment it comes out of the oven, while it is still tall and warm. It will deflate as it sits, which is simply the nature of the dessert, so this is not a dish to bake far in advance. If you want to get ahead, prepare and chill your cubed pears and butter your ramekins beforehand, then build the batter and bake just before serving. Any leftover baked souffle can be kept covered in the fridge for a day and gently rewarmed, though it will no longer have its dramatic rise.
If you are in a chocolate mood, you might also enjoy this easy chocolate mousse recipe, these decadent raw almond chocolate truffles, or the airy vegan Japanese souffle pancakes for another take on that light, risen texture.
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Dark Chocolate and Pear Soufflé
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp butter unsalted
- 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ cup milk hot (120 ml)
- ½ tsp rum extract
- 2 Tbsps powdered sugar
- 2 eggs medium-sized, separated
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 pears peeled and cut in small cubes
- 4 Tbsps dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Brush the ramekins with butter, working from the bottom upwards. Coat the ramekins with sugar and set aside.
- Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the hot milk. Stir until smooth. Return to medium heat and stir constantly until it comes to a boil, then remove from the heat.
- Add the salt and rum extract and stir until well combined. Add the egg yolks and stir to combine. Pour the sauce into a separate bowl.
- Whisk the egg whites, gradually adding the sugar while whisking slowly. Keep whisking until firm and foamy. This takes about 20 minutes by hand and a couple of minutes with a mixer.
- Fold the whisked egg whites into the sauce, adding the meringue one-third at a time and stirring gently to combine. Add the chocolate chips and chopped pears and fold together.
- Spoon the mixture into the ramekins, without filling them up completely.
- Preheat the oven and bake at 390 degrees F (200 C) for 12 to 15 minutes, or until well risen.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
It is less difficult than its reputation suggests. The recipe is really just a thick butter-flour-milk base lightened with whisked egg whites, then folded with chocolate chips and cubed pears. The trickiest parts are whisking the egg whites until firm and foamy and folding them in gently so the souffle rises.
Preheat the oven and bake at 390 degrees F (200 C) for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the souffle is well risen. It is best served right away, while it is still tall and warm from the oven.
The most common cause is egg whites that were not whisked enough or were knocked down when combined with the base. Whisk the whites until firm and foamy, add the powdered sugar gradually, and fold them into the sauce one-third at a time so they keep their air. Also butter the ramekins from the bottom upwards so the batter has a smooth path to climb.
Not the baked souffle itself, since it deflates as it sits. You can get ahead by cubing and chilling the pears and buttering the ramekins in advance, then mixing the batter and baking just before serving. Souffles are at their tallest straight out of the oven.
Ripe, fragrant pears work best, the juicier and more perfumed the better. Peel them and cut them into small cubes so they fold evenly through the batter and cook through during the short bake. The original version used very juicy orchard pears.
Brushing the ramekins with butter from the bottom upwards and coating them with sugar gives the souffle traction to climb the walls as it rises. The butter creates a smooth, greased surface and the sugar adds a delicate crust around the edges.
The recipe sounds so fancy and complicated at first but it’s actually so easy! Thank you for this recipe!
You’re welcome! 😀
i’m going to make this. Look beautiful!
Thank you, Joyce! 😀
Chiar arata foarte bine si citind ingredientele si modalitatea de preparare, nu mi s-a parut mare lucru. Nu am pere, insa o sa incerc cu alte fructe.
Cred ca merge la fel de bine si cu mere. Daca incerci reteta sa imi spui cum ti-a iesit! 😀
Thank you so much for this amazing looking recipe! I love healthy recipes and I will look forward to trying it out and sharing it with my followers at TianaGustafson.com. As Arnold says “I’ll be back” 🙂 Thanks again!
I just died! Arata incredibil de bine :)))) In weekend fac si eu!
Ma bucur ca iti place! 😀