Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Use a pastry brush to coat the insides of 2 (8 oz) ramekins with melted butter. Sprinkle sugar inside the ramekins, then rotate ramekins from side to side to get sugar crystals coating the entire interior surface of the ramekins. Tap out any excess sugar. Set aside.
• Pour the 1 tbsp + 2 tsp of melted butter into a small pan. Add the 1 tbsp + 2 tsp flour to the pan, then turn on the heat to medium low. Use a wooden spoon (not a whisk) to combine the two together to form a roux – about 30 seconds.
• Once combined, stream in the cold milk. Continue stirring with the spoon until a dough has formed and doesn’t stick to the pan. Turn this dough out into a clean, large bowl. Set aside.
• To the bowl of a stand mixer, add your egg whites. Make sure you don’t get ANY yolks in the whites, otherwise repeat this step as the yolks will ruin your merengue. Once you’ve got your egg whites in the bowl, whisk on high speed.
• Once the egg whites have lost their yellowish appearance and have become frothy white, gradually sprinkle in the sugar. Continue to whisk until the egg whites until they’re past the shaving cream stage and have started to form stiff, yet matte peaks.
• To the bowl that contains your dough, add your orange zest, Grand Marnier, and vanilla extract. Stir them in with your wooden spoon before adding the egg yolks. Use your spoon to incorporate the yolks until you have a thick, lava-like batter.
• Add about half of your egg whites into the batter, folding them into the batter with a rubber spatula. Be gentle so that you don’t deflate your egg whites. Once incorporated, add the remaining half of egg whites and again gently fold them into the batter, using big, long strokes. Fold just until the whites are no longer apparent.
• Divide the batter among your ramekins, stopping a quarter inch from the rim of the ramekins if you want a straight, slightly puffy look. If you want the soufflés really high and don’t mind them going slightly lopsided, then fill to the rim of the ramekins
• Use an offset spatula or your finger to smooth out the tops of the batter. Bake in the oven for 16 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately (soufflés will deflate within a minute, so hurry!)