Passion Fruit Soufflé

I am a big fan of passion fruit and an even greater lover of soufflés, mix the two together and I find myself in dessert heaven. 

So many people are put off with making soufflés because they appear complex to assemble, with little reassurance offered from some of our much-loved cookery programmes, such as Masterchef. 

As judge Gregg Wallace, notorious for his love of puddings, hovers over some poor contestant as they wait with nervous anticipation by the oven, an easy recipe suddenly becomes on the same par as an A-Level science exam. 

The heat and pressure, not helped by his negative facial expressions often leads to a dish of scrambled egg in a pot, and all hope of achieving a show-stopping plate of food that will see them through to the next round is lost. 

This sends a clear message to the viewers watching at home that attempting a soufflé is definitely a ‘no-no’.

However, I can assure you that this is a misconception, and one I myself have been deceived by on many occasions previous. 

This is an easy and simple dish to make, with deliciously mouth-watering results. 

The key to making a good soufflé requires your undivided attention whereby accuracy and precision is vital throughout the process. 

Quantities must be exact, and technique faultless, when combining all the ingredients together. However, as long as you follow the instructions carefully, you should end up with something rather magical, and the recipe I have for you here, is just that!

Makes 4

Ingredients

4x soufflé ramekins, insides buttered and dusted with caster sugar

6 ripe passion fruits, halved

4 medium egg whites

75g caster sugar

150ml ready-made custard (alternatively, to make the custard from scratch, see the recipe below)

To make the custard:

3 eggs yolks (use from the egg quantity above)

300ml whole milk

45g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod, cut lengthways

Method

To make the custard:

Cook’s note ~ the custard quantity is more than you need for this recipe, however it is difficult to make smaller amounts and it means you have delicious leftovers to consume later. Homemade custard will keep in the fridge for a couple of days after it’s made.

v  Heat the milk and vanilla together and bring them to the boil. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

v  Meanwhile, in a large ceramic bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar until they turn a pale colour.

v  Remove the milk mixture from the heat and pour through a sieve into the bowl with the egg mixture and whisk vigorously.

v  Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and continue to whisk until the mixture begins to thicken, this should take about 5 minutes.

v  Once thickened, remove the bowl from the heat and place to one side, whisking as it begins to cool so the custard maintains its smooth consistency. Refrigerate until required.

To make the soufflés:

v  Preheat the oven to 180’C.

v  In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until you have soft peaks. Add the caster sugar and whisk until the mixture is thick and glossy.

v  In a separate bowl, add 150ml of the readymade custard. Scoop the pulp out of each passion fruit and mix into the custard.

v  Gently and carefully fold the egg white mixture into the custard.

v  Spoon equal amounts into the prepared soufflé ramekins and smooth over the top of each one using the back of a spoon, this will produce an even finish when they rise.

v  Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until they have risen and are golden on top. Don’t be tempted to open the oven door during cooking, it may cause the soufflés to deflate!

v  Remove from the oven, dust with icing sugar and serve immediately with a generous dollop of ice cream.