Chocolate Souffle

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter one 4-cup soufflé dish or other deep baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar then invert it and tap to remove excess sugar. Set dish aside.

Beat egg yolks with all but 1 tablespoon of the sugar until very light and very thick; mixture will fall in a ribbon from beaters when it is ready. Mix in the melted chocolate until well combined; set aside.

Wash beaters well, or use a different set, then beat egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until whites hold soft peaks. Then continue to beat, gradually adding remaining tablespoon of sugar, until they are very stiff and glossy.

Stir a good spoonful of whites thoroughly into egg yolk mixture to lighten it (egg yolk mixture will have become very stiff so this step is very important). Then carefully fold in remaining whites, using a rubber spatula. Transfer to prepared soufflé dish. At this point you can cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to bake.

Bake until center is nearly set, 25 to 35 minutes. Serve immediately.

This recipe is from Mark Bittman, originally printed in the NY Times.