Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bring a full kettle of water to boil.

Butter six 4-ounce ramekins and dust with sugar, set aside.

Bring the milk to a simmer in a small saucepan.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cocoa powder to the butter, whisking until it has a smooth paste-like consistency. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 minute.

Slowly add the hot milk to the butter mixture, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the melted chocolate. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Lightly whisk the egg yolks and then stir them into the mixture.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. Slowly add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, and beat until the egg whites form stiff, glossy peaks. Stir a heaping spoonful of egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined.

Pour the soufflé batter into the prepared ramekins. Place the ramekins in the large cake pan and add enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake for 20 minutes. Don’t open the oven while the soufflés are baking.

Once baked, place the ramekins on a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm with the vanilla sauce.

Place the cream in a small saucepan. Scrape the inside of the vanilla bean with a sharp knife. Add the vanilla seeds to the cream. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Combine the sugar and egg yolks in a small bowl.

Add two spoonfuls of the hot cream to the egg mixture, stirring well to combine. Then, pour the egg mixture into the remaining cream, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes or until thickened.