chocolate mousse souffle cordon bleu

Heat oven to 475F. Place chocolate and butter in a saucepan and allow to melt over low heat.

Remove pan from heat and stir in egg yolks until chocolate thickens slightly. Pour into large mixing bowl.

Beat egg whites until very firm, but stop short of allowing them to become dry.

Stir a third of the whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it.

Fold in the remainder quickly with bold strokes. It's better to leave a few pockets of white rather than overmix.

Butter the inside of a low-sided one-quart souffle' mold and coat the surface lightly with granulated sugar. Pour in the mousse mixture. There is no danger if you leave the souffle out for several minutes before putting it in the oven. You can even open the oven door while the souffle is cooking to turn or move the mold if the top is rising unevenly. (Recipe may be done ahead to this point. Store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.)

Place souffle in oven and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 425F and continue baking 5 to 7 minutes more. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve at once.

NOTE: If you're in a time bind, the recipe done through Step 5 is an excellent chocolate mousse and needs no further cooking. Simply spoon it into serving dishes or glasses. Recipe by: : William Rice (Chicago Tribune Magazine 2/8/98) Posted to MC-Recipe Digest by Carriej999@... on Feb 8, 1998