May 16, 2017

Raspberry soufflé

I hope you had a good Mother's Day!  For us, this past weekend started with a deluge of rain all Saturday, but somehow, I had a feeling Mother's Day would turn out nice if history was any indication.  Sure enough, the sun was shining most of the day...what a nice gift for us moms.  
I spent Mother's Day morning relaxing and enjoying breakfast in bed.  It's become something of a tradition and a lovely treat.  I took my time enjoying it but then I got up and started the day because I realized a while back that if I spend too much time relaxing or doing nothing, it starts driving me crazy.  So I took some time savoring my breakfast, then I got up to do what I like to do best - you know cooking/baking was involved!
My husband bought me some delicious raspberries; I devoured a good chunk of it at breakfast but managed to save some for a few soufflés. I had spotted a pretty straightforward recipe from French Country Cooking that I've been wanting to try...I finally managed not to eat all the raspberries before getting a chance to use them in this recipe!  
I can now tell you I'm really happy I tried this recipe because it worked very nicely and the result tasted light, sweet, airy - everything good about a glorious soufflé!  And it wasn't difficult to make.  

In this recipe, you simply crush the raspberries and whisk them into the soufflé base. In other words, there's no pureeing raspberries, cooking them down with lemon juice, then straining the mixture in order to make a raspberry syrup to start with that you often see in other recipes.  In fairness, you won't end up with as even a pink hue as you would expect if you were to do that but I think it's a fair exchange for the ease here.  
While the raspberry soufflés were baking, the kitchen started smelling like cotton candy!  I loved how they rose steadily in the oven and didn't split and spill overboard like they sometimes do.  Of course, the very best part is that moment when you dig your spoon into the warm soufflé, and taste it...it's like a warm egg custard with a punch of sweet raspberry flavor.
I think soufflés are always a treat and this raspberry version (that's not at all complicated to make) was no exception.


This recipe, using 3 eggs, yields more than enough batter to fill 4 (7-ounce) ramekins. I only had 3 ramekins of that size so I used them and another slightly smaller one. Had I known I'd have more than enough batter, I would actually have taken another slightly larger ramekin to fill the fourth.  Incidentally, the recipe called for prepping the ramekins by buttering and then coating them with flour...the flour was unusual and I decided to stick with buttering and coating the ramekins with sugar instead.  
You need 5 ounces of fresh raspberries.  Simply crush them well with the back of a fork.  You will later whisk that - seeds and all - into the base of milk, thickened with some flour and cornstarch, eggs yolks and vanilla bean seeds.
I was a little worried about this rough raspberry puree, wondering if it would be too heavy for the soufflés to lift off with and whether it would provide enough raspberry flavor.  Happily, neither of the concerns panned out.   
Once I folded in stiffly beaten egg whites, I filled my prepared ramekins almost all the way to the top, smoothing it evenly.  Then I like to run my thumb around the inner rim of each, which I once read helps soufflés rise more evenly during baking (I always figure it doesn't hurt).  

Into the oven for they go for about 15 minutes.  I was very excited to watch the soufflés in progress!  They start to climb after 4-5 minutes...
...rising steadily, I wondered if they would split as they sometimes do...
...but they kept climbing pretty neatly and were ready to be pulled out of the oven at this point below!
Though with very shaky hands, I managed to take them out of oven without incident.  I worked as fast as I could, settling each onto a plate, placing a decorative fresh raspberry on top, and dusting it with confectioners' sugar.  
You feel such a sense of accomplishment pulling soufflés out of the oven at home.  It's as close as I'll get to doing magic tricks and once again, you have to appreciate one of my all-time favorite ingredients - the egg!  My smile widened when we sat down and tasted these (dessert came early this past Sunday).  They were far better than cotton candy!  I love the firmer set edges as well as the steaming warm soft, cloud-like, center.  The raspberry flavor is lovely. 

On another weekend note...we also took a trip to our local farmer's market on Sunday morning.  It's so nice to walk around and see what's available and be inspired to cook accordingly.  We picked up some scallops, asparagus and things, and I ended up whipping up this seared scallops with angel hair pasta for dinner (the little guy might have had pizza).  The scallops were amazing!
So now I'm out of the clouds of Mother's Day but enjoying this beautiful bright week we're having.  Temps are going way up and I think allergy season may be on its way out so my husband and the little man can hopefully breathe easier.  There's still plenty of raspberries to eat (love how all our favorite fruits are coming into season!), meals to make, and treats to bake.  Hope you have a happy, productive week doing many things you enjoy!

Recipe:

Raspberry Soufflé
Adapted from French Country Cooking by Mimi Thorisson

- For 4 individual soufflés - 

2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, plus more for ramekins
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (195 ml) whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
3 large egg yolks
5 ounces (150g) fresh raspberries, crushed with a fork, plus a few whole raspberries for serving
3 large egg whites
Pinch of fine sea salt
3 tablespoons sugar (plus more for coating ramekins)
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Butter 4 (7oz/210ml) ramekins and coat them with sugar, tapping out the excess.  Place ramekins in the refrigerator until ready to use.  

In a medium to large saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat.  Whisk in the flour and cornstarch.  Immediately add the milk and vanilla bean seeds, and continue whisking constantly until mixture thickens like a custard that coats the back of a spoon, about 3-5 minutes.  

Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks, then the crushed raspberries.  

Beat egg whites using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  When the egg whites being to look foamy, add salt.  Continue whipping on high speed, gradually adding the sugar, until the whites hold stiff peaks.  Gently fold the egg whites into the raspberry mixture until just incorporated, trying not to deflate the whites too much.  

Remove the ramekins from the refrigerator and set them on a baking sheet.  Fill each with batter nearly to the top, smoothing over the surface.  Take your thumb and run it around the inner rim of each ramekin (optional, this is supposed to help the soufflés rise more evenly while baking).  Place baking sheet into the oven and bake until risen and golden brown on top, 15 minutes.  

Carefully remove the soufflés from the oven, place each on a plate.  Garnish each with a raspberry on top and a light dusting of confectioners' sugar.  Serve immediately and enjoy!




31 comments:

  1. souffle looks perfect. Beautiful and yumm. Love it. I will try making it soon. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe :)

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    1. It was yummy, as souffles always are. : ) Thanks.

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  2. Sounds like a lovely weekend. I also have a hard time not eating all the raspberries haha. I've never made souffle but I'm glad to see an easy, non-intimidating recipe!

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    1. Very, very hard not to devour seasonal fresh berries since they're just so good and you don't even want to mess with it...but then you do bake with it and realize why people love fruit desserts. : )

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  3. What a lovely recipe, anything with raspberries is a winner for me. :) And those scallops make me drool as well.

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    1. Gotta give some love to those fresh scallops - they were so sweet and succulent. Yum! : )

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  4. Happy belated Mum's Day! Your little souffles look so beautiful rising high and you even were able to get some great shot before they fell or were devoured. Take Care

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    1. Thank you - same to you. Yes, the very idea of taking photos of souffles is daunting but I managed...they do usually start deflating at lightening fast speed but these held up for an extra 30 seconds that I needed. ; )

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  5. They turned out beautiful. I love the idea of adding fresh berries in this French classic. Well done, Monica.

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  6. You had a wonderful Mother's Day. Breakfast in bed that is indeed a lovely tradition and a lovely treat.
    You can be proud of your raspberry soufflé - it came out beautiful. It looks so airy - I 'm sure it tastes good too. If only you lived here... You could teach me how to make a soufflé (I've never succeeded...) Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe :)

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    1. It was nice, especially with the sun out most of the day after an all-day and night of heavy rain before. : )
      I'm sure you can make a souffle. The ones I've made are easy - my main issue is over-beating the egg whites. If I don't do that, it seems to work.

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  7. It sounds like you had a wonderful Mother's Day Monica! And these souffles! I LOVE the raspberry twist! I still have yet to try making souffle at home but man do I want to try!

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    1. It was fun to make since I'd never had a raspberry souffle before. Hope all is well, Ashley.

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  8. Wow Monica, the souffles are perfect! I have never had a raspberry one...I absolutely love the idea of fresh raspberries in it.
    I hope you are having a wonderful week :)

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    1. Thank you, Juliana. Weekend is almost here. : )

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  9. It's so true that there's nothing more satisfying than making the perfect souffle at home... And these look seriously PERFECT!! They're beautiful and I love the raspberries incorporated in :)

    Sues

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  10. These souffles are gorgeous, Monica! I love the fresh raspberries in here! So elegant and perfect for spring and summer! So glad you had a nice and relaxing Mother's Day too, you totally deserve it :)

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    1. I am totally gorging on all the berries right now so I think I can manage to cook/bake with some since I'm hoarding and they are so plentiful right now. I hope your Mother's Day was nice. You deserve to be spoiled, for sure!

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  11. Oh my goodness, this look so gorgeous. Monica I admire all your souffle recipes and I think you do have a magic wand in your hand in creating such wonderful recipes. Glad you had a great mother's day!

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    1. No magic wands necessary, I promise. : ) It's really not as hard as it seems. I hope you had a great Mother's Day, too!! Enjoy the upcoming weekend.

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  12. What beautiful souffles you made, love raspberries. Sounds like you had a wonderful Mother's Day!!

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    1. I had a bunch with yogurt for breakfast (raspberries, I mean...) and plan to get some more after I wolf down some strawberries. : )

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  13. To this day I don't think I've ever made a souffle, but raspberry sounds too good to pass up ~ it's enchanting, and I bet the texture is heavenly.

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    1. I'm sure you would make some knockout souffles if you wanted to. I have always been enchanted by the very sound of a raspberry souffle so I'm very happy I've made one now. This was very easy. I'd even consider doing a puree style one and seeing if I can get a uniform pink color...that would be lovely. : )

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  14. What a beautiful souffle this is and I am so glad you had a great day my day.This is such a great summery dessert. You deserve everything my dear.
    xx

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    1. You are very sweet and I always appreciate your encouragement, Asha! YOU are supermom and I hope you had a wonderful day. xo

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  15. You are an inspiration Monica. I still have not tried making a soufflé but love the ones you have shared. This is a beautiful dessert and they all look perfect. Glad you enjoyed Mother's Day and hope the weather is better. We're having lots of rain and cooler temperatures right now - crazy spring!

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    1. You are the inspiring one, Tricia! Believe me!
      Thank you so much and I know you'll make and slay souffles one day soon. haha.
      Have a great long weekend ahead!

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  16. These souffles rose very beautifully! Love the raspberry bits in the souffle. I bet you have a warm and sweet Mother's Day. Bookmarking for later! :)

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    1. Thank you! Just smashing the raspberries is so simple...you don't have an even color and you do have bits but it's fine with me and the simplicity can't be beat. : )

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