Foodmanna: I Heart Soufflé, rising to any occasion.

Light and fluffy soufflé with a passion fruit - perfect for a romantic meal or dinner party. Soft as clouds, hot and cold... ultimate heaven. A soufflé isn't just for special meals. the real secret to soufflé making is it's really not that hard. So go on, rise to the occasion. And just think how special your sweethearts will feel when they see what a masterpiece you created just for them!

Whenever I imagine an intimate, candlelit dinner for two, there are certain foods that are always on the menu, like lobster, oysters, decadent dark chocolate and a fluffy, ethereal soufflé – especially the soufflé. To me, a soufflé is the ultimate indulgence, reserved for only the most special occasions. Maybe because it’s French, and I find all things French impossibly romantic and luxurious. There’s a certain mystique about the soufflé. It has the reputation of being temperamental, unpredictable and a tad capricious. There’s no doubt about it. The soufflé is a diva. And, divas often get away with their bad behavior because they are brilliant and adored.

Soufflé. Made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with various other ingredients and sweetened as a dessert. The word soufflé is the past participle of the French verb souffler which means "to blow up" or more loosely "puff up"—an apt description of what happens to this combination of custard and egg whites.

When it comes out of the oven, a soufflé should be puffed up and fluffy, and will generally fall after 5 or 10 minutes (as risen dough does).

Ingredients
2 egg yolks
25g+ 25g sugar
30ml strained passionfruit juice
2 egg whites
Pinch of salt
A dash of vinegar

Method

In a bowl, cream the egg yolks with the first 25g sugar, until pale and the sugar has dissolved. Add the passionfruit juice, mix and set aside.

In a separate clean bowl (copper, if you have), whisk the egg whites with a tiny pinch of salt and vinegar. When you are ½ way to peaks forming, add ½ the remaining sugar, followed by the rest shortly after. Whisk to firm peaks but be careful not to overbeat them.

Whisk 1/3 of the whites into the yolks then carefully fold through the remaining.
Spoon the mixture into a buttered and sugared soufflé mould (this could also be a tea cup or ramekin).

Bake at 190C for 12 minutes.

Serve immediately with ice cream.

Till next post, SS.