Waiting......

Advent is upon us, and as we know, we’re waiting for Christmastide, that most festal recollection of the Incarnation. Advent also reminds us of the great eschaton, when, to quote Wesley’s hymn:

Lo! he comes, with clouds descending, once for our salvation slain; thousand thousand saints attending swell the triumph of his train: Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia! Christ the Lord returns to reign.

Perhaps more than a few of us are not simply waiting – we’re crying out ‘Veni veni Emmanuel’ (Come, come, Emmanuel)! There is an awful delight – a dreaded majesty, if you will – in waiting for something so precious as Christmas, and, by extension, our Lord’s final return.

So in the spirit of waiting, here’s a wonderful recipe that takes time (a whole night in the fridge!), and, like Advent, will ultimately lead to a richer life, an enhanced joie de vivre.

What You’ll Need For Six Flourless Chocolate Soufflés

N.B. Start early; the base must refrigerate overnight. You’ll need soufflé dishes, too, which can be purchased from most kitchen supply stores; however, I like using the modified pineapple cans. All you do is use a can opener to remove both the top and bottoms. Remove the paper wrapper. Then, in my humble opinion, you’ve got the best soufflé dish ever, and it’s half the price, to boot. The soufflé dishes from Williams-Sonoma get too hot and burn the edges, so just do it my way.

1 tablespoon butter, plus more for dishes
6 tablespoons sugar, plus more for dishes
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (go for the highest butterfat content you can find here; this is not the place to watch your waistline)
6 tablespoons half and half
3 egg yolks
6 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Generously butter six 8-oz. soufflé dishes. Sprinkle butter with sugar to coat. Put dishes on a baking sheet and set aside.

2. Bring 1 in. water to a boil in a medium frying pan. Put chocolate, milk, and 1 tbsp. butter in a small metal bowl. Put bowl in water and take pan off heat. Stir occasionally until chocolate melts. Remove bowl from water, mix in egg yolks, and set aside.

3. In a large clean bowl, beat egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Sprinkle in 6 tbsp. sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

4. Whisk 1/4 of beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold chocolate mixture into the remaining egg whites. Divide mixture evenly among prepared soufflé dishes and place in refrigerator overnight.

5. One hour before cooking, remove from fridge. Bake until set but still soft in the center, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately with a nice spoon of Kahlua infused sweetened whipping cream on top (to make just add some sugar and 4 tbsp. of Kahlua to a pint of whipping cream).

I pray brothers and sisters that this Advent will be one of holy waiting; one in which our lips shall be ‘carefully wept’ in preparation for the greatest gift ever given – Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yours in the Coming One,

CDW