RASPBERRY SOUFFLE RECIPE: ADAPTED FROM BILL GRANGER

I don't think I've actually tried a souffle before or even if I have I can't remember my experience.  However, I somehow came across this recipe after looking for winter desserts.  Besides the bread and butter puddings, the other popular winter desserts were souffles and baked pears.  Yes, I could have made a chocolate souffle and it will probably be my next attempt as I recently bought two bars of Lindt dark chocolate - 70% cocoa and strawberry for half the price at Coles - bargain!!!

I have to say the souffle was delicious and best served with vanilla bean ice cream!! The sourness meets the sweetness of the creamy vanilla bean ice cream.  My first attempt failed though because although the souffle rose, it began to sink after about 3 minutes or so when I took it out of the oven (apparently that's normal).  But not only that, I didn't straighten the tops so it cracked.  Neither did I coat the butter with sugar and I didn't whisk the eggs until it was stiff.  The top wasn't crispy either.  It's no wonder people are too afraid to make a souffle or a macaron because these two French desserts can go wrong easily.  I think my second attempt after watching the methodology will be a success :)

So what makes a great souffle or how what should it taste like?

A good souffle is one that is not too sweet.  There should be less than 1/3 sugar for a serving of 4.  The fruit souffles like this one should be delicate in flavour and smooth.  They should be light and fluffy on the outside and it is a little gooey in the centre but if too gooey, you can choose to put it longer in the oven.  The top should be flat and there should be no cracks on the top nor the sides for a perfect souffle.  Need to evenly spread the top and also grease the dish very well with butter.  When you coat the bottom you do circles but on the sides you coat upwards so it moves upwards and use generous amounts of butter.   Also, it goes into the fridge once then you re-coat it after 2 minutes again so it's very well coated.  You also need to coat the sugar onto the butter for the souffle to work.  When you stir the eggs whites you put in the sugar when creamy then only when there's a stiff peak (holding firm) and it's glossy then it's time to put them in the moulds.  It's important not to lose the air when you mix the egg whites with the chocolate or fruit purees and ensure you straighten the tops using a scraper or back of a knife.  It should take about 15-20 minutes to cook so don't open the oven beforehand as they will deflate.  You need to eat them straight away because deflation will start to happen as soon as they come out of the oven.  You watch Curtis Stone's chocolate souffle video for visual directions.

Raspberry Souffle - Bill Granger recipe

RASPBERRY SOUFFLE - ADAPTED BY BILL GRANGER (THE HOLIDAY)

Ingredients

• Melted butter and caster (superfine) sugar, to dust the moulds
• 200g (7oz) raspberries, fresh or thawed frozen
• 115g (4oz/½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch), mixed with 2 teaspoons cold water
• 4 egg whites
• Icing (confectioner's) sugar, to dust

Preparation method

1) Brush the base and sides of four 250ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) soufflé dishes or coffee cups with melted butter and sprinkle with caster sugar, tipping out the excess. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes, then repeat. Chill again until you are ready to use.

2) Process the raspberries in a food processor until smooth, then tip into a small saucepan with half the caster sugar. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and stir in the cornflour mixture. Remove from the heat but continue stirring until it is all well mixed. Leave to cool completely.

3) Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F). Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining caster sugar until the mixture is thick and glossy. Add a third of the egg white to the raspberry purée, mixing it in well with a metal spoon, then add the rest of the egg white and gently mix it in. Spoon into the dishes and smooth the tops. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until well risen and starting to colour. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.

__________________________________________________

La Petite Vancouver made a perfect raspberry souffle using Gordon Ramsay's recipe

2UE's website also has Vincent Gaden's version of Raspberry souffle.

Enjoy and hope your souffle becomes a success :)!

Here's my second attempt of the souffle but I used strawberries instead of raspberries this time. The top became crispy and I also whipped it longer so that the eggs were stiff.  Only problem now are the air bubbles that I need to perfect my third time round :)

Strawberry Souffle - replace raspberry but same Bill Granger recipe 

Third time lucky making soufflé.  This rose even higher than the previous ones but I took a photo of it a bit late.  Also, there were less holes in this one than the other two soufflés I made.  Getting there.  I put less butter this time and heat was 160 degrees not 170 degrees hence tops are not as golden brown.

Strawberry and persimmon souffle - 3rd attempt