ROY’S MELTING HOT CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE

I was able to find out exactly how Roy’s chefs prepare their signature dessert when I ordered some food to go and told my server that I wanted the dessert to be as fresh as possible. With my food order he brought me an uncooked soufflé in a parchment paper–lined ring mold and gave me baking instructions. Cool! Now I could see what the dessert looked like before it hit the heat. The rest of the recipe came together after trying out several variations of flourless “lava cake” recipes until the taste matched and the chocolate inside was just the right gooey consistency. My first hack on this recipe was close, but I later discovered that switching the chocolate from bittersweet to unsweetened chocolate would make for a more reliable formula. Bittersweet chocolate can vary in sweetness, with cacao ranging from 60 percent to 70 percent depending on the brand. By using unsweetened chocolate, you will have more control over the amount of sugar in the recipe regardless of what brand of chocolate you choose. I also upped the vanilla extract and added cream.

Rather than having to track down ring molds for this recipe, all you have to do is start saving cans. You’ll need four that have about a 2½ inch diameter. I found that 4-ounce cans of diced peppers work great.

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (100 percent cacao)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

GARNISH
Raspberry sauce
Powdered sugar

ON THE SIDE
4 scoops of vanilla ice cream

Cooking method

1-Melt the chocolate and butter together in a medium glass or ceramic microwave-safe bowl in your microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. If the chocolate has not completely melted, zap it again for another 30 seconds and stir until smooth.

2-Add the sugar and mix with an electric mixer on high speed for 1 minute. Add the cream, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt and mix for another minute.

3-Open the top and bottom of four 4-ounce cans (such as the kind that hold diced peppers), remove the labels, and clean out the cans. Line the inside of each can with parchment paper. Make sure the paper is pushed all the way down to the bottom of the can so that the soufflé will slip out easily when cooked. Position each lined can on an additional piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.

4-Fill each can with an equal amount of cake batter, cover all of them with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours.

5-When you are ready to bake the desserts, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

6-Bake for 20 minutes or until the dessert is starting to crack on top, then cool for 2 minutes.

7-Place each molded soufflé on the center of a serving plate. Carefully remove the can and peel away the parchment paper. Drizzle raspberry sauce onto the plate and dust the soufflé with a little powdered sugar. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to each plate and serve.