Wow your guests with this French pastry classic! These warm little fluffy pieces of heaven will surely have your friends and family floating into the kitchen for these fabulous desserts.
PREP TIME: 50 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 15 – 20 MINUTES
LEVEL: ADVANCED
YIELD: 4-6
Ingredients
Raspberry Purée (Coulis)
600 grams fresh or frozen raspberries
6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
6 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
(Reserve 150 grams of finished product for souffle base)
Pastry Cream
500 grams whole milk
65 grams large egg yolks
62 grams sugar
50 grams cornstarch
5 grams vanilla extract
Soufflés
2 each 10-ounce ramekins or 4 each 6-ounce ramekins
Shaved dark chocolate to coat ramekins
150 grams raspberry purée
40 grams pastry cream
210 grams large egg whites
45 grams granulated sugar
1 lemon wedge
1 stick softened, room temperature butter
Preparation Method
- For raspberry puree: Combine all ingredients to a medium saucepan and cover. Simmer over medium-low heat for 5-8 minutes, until berries break down. Uncover and continue to cook allowing the excess water to evaporate and mixture to reduce to a syrupy consistency – about 5 minutes. Do not let the liquid brown.
- Pour the cooked berry mixture into a blender and blend on low speed. Gradually increase speed for one minute until a jam-like consistency is achieved.
- Place a sieve over a bowl and pass purée through using a rubber spatula. Reserve 100 grams of the purée and chill for the soufflé base. Keep the remaining purée warm or at room temperature for the garnish.
- Gently heat milk for 3-5 minutes until it begins to simmer, just before it scalds. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla until very well incorporated. (Wait to combine the egg yolk, sugar, and cornstarch until the milk is heated because the sugar can cause the egg yolks to curdle).
- Slowly whisk small amounts of the scalded milk into the egg yolk mixture to temper. Tempering means to slowly mix a hot ingredient into a cold or room-temp ingredient to slowly raise the temperature to prevent it from overcooking or scrambling the eggs in this case.
- Once half of the milk is incorporated into the bowl, pour the mixture back into the sauce pot and whisk over medium heat until it becomes thick and creamy. Do not let the pastry cream get any color while cooking.
- Line a large bowl with plastic wrap and pour the pastry cream into it. Lay another sheet of plastic on top, touching the surface to prevent a skin from forming on the surface. Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes – pastry cream should be completely cooled before using.
- Prepare the ramekins: Butter bottom and sides of the ramekins and chill to let the butter set, then add shaved chocolate into the ramekins, and swirl to coat sides evenly. Chill while making the soufflé batter.
- Preheat your Wolf oven to 320° on Convection.
- Prepare the souffle batter: In a medium bowl, whisk the pastry cream and raspberry purée until very well incorporated. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, begin whisking the egg whites. Once whites begin to foam and with mixer running, squeeze in a small amount of lemon juice. When the volume of the egg whites has increased by ⅔, gradually stream in the sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form and mixture is bright white and glossy.
- Fold in a third of the egg whites into the pastry cream/raspberry mixture, until fully incorporated. Gently fold the remaining egg whites into the mixture in two parts. Do not mix.
- Fill the ramekins to the top, tap lightly on a flat countertop to even out the batter. Using an offset spatula, scrape the tops of the soufflés flat. Clean off any excess batter off the outside of the ramekins. Finally, place your thumb on the inside edge of the ramekin, push about ⅙ inch down into the edge of the souffle batter, and rotate the ramekin in your other hand as you drag your thumb to wipe a small amount of batter from the edge. This is another trick to ensure your soufflé will rise straight up.
- Place no more than two ramekins on a sheet tray at a time and bake in the center rack. If using 10-ounce ramekins, bake for 14 to 17 minutes, or until the tops of the soufflés are golden brown. If using 6-ounce ramekins, bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Garnish with the remainder of the raspberry puree, a fresh raspberry, confectioner’s sugar, more shaved chocolate. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated for up to four days.
Chef’s tips:
• The word souffle comes from the French word souffler, which means “to puff.”
• If you don’t want to make the raspberry coulis, you can always substitute raspberry puree instead.
• The pastry cream can be made up to three days in advance and refrigerated.
• Souffles can stay chilled and uncovered within your fridge for a few days before use.
