Chocolate Souffle with Prosciutto Flakes...

Sweet and salty combinations have been around for a long time. Whether it's trail mix, granola bars, chocolate or pretzels the taste incurred when we eat this addicting duo sets off some major food endorphins. Okay maybe that's just on the tip of my own tongue which is where sweet and salty are picked up by our taste buds, sour on the sides and bitter at the back just in case you were interested. A huge amount of chocolate is being sold now with sea salt and don't get me started on the whole bacon mania which I think has almost run it's course. I think these quirky twists are good for the food world and people will always try to push the boundaries of ingredients. My own philosophy on pairng some strange sounding ingredients is, really how bad can it taste, enough to have you double up and spit it out? Probably not but maybe you wouldn't try it again.

The inspiration for this dessert came from a visit to one of my all time favorite restaurants here in  Long Beach, Michael's on Naples. This place has amazing food but also great service and a very relaxing ambiance. We went there last night to celebrate my sister in law's birthday and to make a long story short my wife noticed on another menu there was a chocolate flourless cake with crispy prosciutto. She wanted it for dessert but it turned out to be part of a special upcoming dinner and not available. The dessert got me thinking and I have no idea how it looked or was baked but I decided to try the sweet and salty combination in a souffle. I was happy with the result and the height I got from it but you can see from the last picture that it's starting to deflate. This proved difficult to photograph. I set up an area in my yard and after dusting the souffle I immediately ran out only to find the sprinklers starting to come on and soak my stage, time to change plans and come up with a new spot before my souffle became a pancake. Everything worked out in the end. I used Newman's 70% organic chocolate but I would have like a stronger and darker chocolate taste. Maybe I'll use another chocolate next time or add some cocoa powder.
I think this recipe has only fuelled my curiosity for other out of the box combinations. Watch this space.....

Here's the recipe slightly adapted from Mark Bittman:

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus some extra for rubbing the souffle dishes
1/3 Cup sugar, plus some for the interior of the souffle dishes
1 Cup whole milk
3 Tbsp flour
2 Ounces of good quality chocolate
4 Eggs separated
2 slices of prosciutto baked in the oven until crispy. Chop into little pieces.
Grease the dishes with some butter and dust with sugar. Pre heat the oven to 350.
Warm the milk with the sugar. In another pan melt the butter and add the flour, mix until slightly darker for about 3 minutes.
Stir in the milk little at a time using a whisk until thick and smooth. Add the chocolate and mix until melted. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Beat the egg yolks and stir into the chocolate mixture. Whip the egg whites until soft peak and then gently fold into the chocolate mixture. Ladle the mixture into each of the dishes about an inch from the top and place in the oven. Bake until risen and slightly jiggly in the middle, about 30 minutes but may take a little longer depending on the size of the ramekin. After they come out of the oven dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Sprinkle the chopped prosciutto liberally on top.