Chocolate-chip souffle

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Step 2

   Butter the inside of four one-and-one-half-cup individual souffle dishes with the melted butter. Sprinkle the inside of the dishes with a total of one tablespoon of sugar, shaking out excess. Chill.

3. Step 3

   Bring the milk gently to a simmer and remove from the heat.

4. Step 4

   Put the chocolate in a small, heavy saucepan. Set the pan in a slightly larger basin of boiling water and let stand until chocolate is melted.

5. Step 5

   In a mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, one-quarter cup of the sugar and the cornstarch. Beat thoroughly. Add a little of the hot milk to the yolk mixture and beat. Combine the yolk mixture with the remaining hot milk, beating constantly. Cook over gentle heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is quite thick.

6. Step 6

   Scrape the melted chocolate into the custard and beat well to blend. Pour and scrape this into a mixing bowl.

7. Step 7

   Beat the whites until thickened and add a little of the remaining sugar. Continue beating, gradually adding all of the remaining sugar until the whites stand in stiff peaks.

8. Step 8

   Add about one-third of the whites to the chocolate mixture. Beat briskly until well blended. Add the remaining whites and the chocolate chips, and fold them in gently but rapidly with a spatula.

9. Step 9

   Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into the four prepared dishes. Smooth over the tops of each souffle. Run the thumb all around the inside rim of each dish, at a depth of about one-half inch, to briefly separate the souffle mixture from the dish.

10. Step 10

    Arrange the dishes on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.