Valrhona Baking Bars

A couple of weekends ago, I spent the entire day baking, and put my Valrhona baking bar to good use. The 61% bittersweet bar provided the perfect chocolaty flavor for my buttermilk cake, and needless to say, the entire cake was demolished in no time.

The new packaging is great, since it's only a manageable 8.8oz. retail bar for the home baker, not a huge 10 lb. commercial-sized block. If you're a real chocoholic, you can snack from this large bar by breaking off thin pre-scored rectangular pieces.

I can't wait to use the rest of my baking bar for the following soufflé recipe!

Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

6 oz Valrhona Dark Chocolate
4 very cold eggs, separated
3.5 oz (3/4 cup) powdered sugar
1 tsp Cornstarch
1 tsp Valrhona Cocoa Powder
6.75 oz Cold Cream
Butter and sugar (to grease mould)

Equipment: 6 small ramekins

Preparation:
Carefully butter the molds and sprinkle with sugar.
Roughly chop chocolate.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, gradually incorporating the sugar.
Sift together the cornstarch and cocoa powder.
Add the cream to the cornstarch and cocoa in a pot. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
Take the pot off the heat and add the chocolate, whisk thoroughly and then add the egg yolks. Mix until smooth and glossy.
Carefully fold part of the beaten whites and the add the remaining whites.

Assembly:
Pour into the prepared molds.
Set aside in fridge until ready to bake.
When you are ready, preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C).
Put soufflés in the oven straight from the fridge.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until puffed and crusted on the top, but still soft in the center. Serve immediately.

Alternate Method:
You can also make one large soufflé and bake it at 350 for about 20 minutes

Buy Valrhona online at www.chocosphere.com