Grand Marnier Souffles

One of the two most memorable bites from my sailing aboard Her Majesty Queen Mary 2 was this souffle. I think it’s delicious even without the warm creme anglaise that was ladled into the center. And the “wow” factor is huge compared to the very modest investment of time required to create these light, airy, delectable treats.

This recipe has been revised slightly from one that appeared in the New York Times; original authors were Pierre Franey and Bryan Miller.  The souffles are gluten-free and can easily be made dairy-free if you substitute margarine or cooking spray for the butter.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter at at room temperature. You can substitute margarine or cooking spray. I like butter best.
• ½cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated
• 5 eggs, separated
• â…“ cup grated orange rind
• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier (you can substitute Cointreau or other orange liqueur)
• 3/4 tsp orange extract (optional)

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PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 4oo degrees.
2. Use the butter to grease four 1-cup souffle dishes. Sprinkle a total of 1 tablespoon of sugar over the insides of the 4 souffle dishes.
3. Place the egg yolks in a bowl and add 1/2 cup sugar, the orange rind and the Grand Marnier. add orange extract if using. Beat briskly until well blended.
4. In a large, deep bowl,  beat the egg whites (with hand-held beater or KitchenAid) until they just begin to turn stiff, but don’t overbeat beyond this point. Toward the end, beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
5. Fold the whites carefully into the egg and orange mixture. Divide equal portions of the mixture in the prepared souffle dishes.
6. Put the dishes on a baking sheet, and place in the pre-heated oven on a lower shelf (not top shelf). Bake for 12-14 minutes, and serve immediately. (If the tops start to brown too soon,  quickly cover with some foil and finish baking.)

Note: just out of curiosity, I tested delaying baking the soufflé mixture  and am pleased to report that it lasted about an hour in the fridge before baking – no detrimental effects noted. That said, it’s always better to bake these right away.