Courtesy of Jill Dupleix, author, Very Simple Food.Jill Dupleix’s Soufflé Psychology: You have to put yourself in the place of the soufflé. BE the soufflé. What does it want to do? Get out of the pot you’ve put it in – it wants to climb, to be free. So you have to make it as easy as possible for it to climb. So you butter the base and sides so they’re slippery. Then you sugar-coat them to give the soufflé some grip. At the very last minute before putting in the oven, run the tip of your thumb around the rim of the soufflé, creating a little space for it to start climbing.A simple soufflé made only of berry puree, sugar and eggs. Based on the passion fruit soufflé from Very Simple Food (Whitecap). Serve with little bowls of cream, ice-cream and fresh berries. Serves 4.
ingredients
directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Butter the insides of six 6-ounce ramekins (6 x 200 ml) or four 10-ounce ramekins (4 x 300 ml). Lightly dust each one with a little extra super fine sugar, tipping out any excess. Place on a baking tray.
Beat the 3 egg yolks with ¼ cup of the superfine sugar until pale and smooth. Add the berry puree, beating well.
Whisk or beat the 5 egg whites in a large, clean bowl. Add remaining 2 tbsp. sugar and continue to whisk until whites start to thicken. Add remaining sugar and whisk until whites forms soft, meringue-like peaks.
Gently fold a third of the egg white into the yolks, then fold in the remainder.
Fill the soufflé dishes to the brim and smooth the tops. Bake the soufflés just below the middle of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes until risen.
Dust with icing sugar and gently place on a dinner plate, with cream or ice-cream to one side. Serve immediately.