This recipe is an adaptation of the Great British Bake-Off winner Edd Kimber’s pistachio and cherry soufflés from his book Patisserie made simple. Stiffly beaten egg whites are folded into crème pâtissier to create a fluffy mixture over a simple compote. I’ve changed the quantities and there’s an extra egg white then instead of pistachios my soufflés incorporate ground almonds, salt and optional bitter almond extract. Adding honey (instead of sugar), cinnamon, cloves and kirsch to the cherries, really ups the flavor oomph. Delicious. But as Edd Kimber suggests, you could experiment with your own flavoring’s and compote.
With xylitol the soufflés take longer to bake, staying softer in the middle and rising less. The almond milk also produces a softer structure that collapses more quickly when out. But both options do rise and make delicious soufflés.
Timings (45 mins work and waiting from 1 hour to a day between stages)
Stage 1: (one day or 1.5 hours before baking): cherry compote 10 mins, crème pâtissier 15-20 mins.
Stage 2: 15 mins then 18- 24 mins baking.
RECIPE – Makes 4 small pots – 8.5-9cm/3.5inch – diameter x 5cm/2inch high
The secret to a good soufflé is folding the egg whites in carefully how to fold egg whites into soufflé batters. Also be precise with your measurements, and butter and sugar your moulds well, leaving no fingerprints.
STAGE 1
Cherry compote
Ingredients & Directions
- 185-190g/6.5-6-7oz (20-24 cherries – 5 or 6 for each pot) fresh dark pitted cherries (buy about 200g/7oz)
- 1 teaspoon runny honey or caster/superfine sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon or a quarter stick of cinnamon (around 2.5cm/1 inch), to taste
- 3 cloves
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon kirsch cherry liqueur (to taste, optional)
Place all the ingredients except the kirsch in a small heavy-based saucepan, on low to medium heat. Simmer 5 to 8 minutes until the cherries soften. Take off heat and add kirsch if using. Taste to check the flavor. Pour into a clean bowl, take the 3 cloves out, let the compote cool then chill in the fridge till required.
Almond crème pâtissier
- 190g/three-quarters of a cup plus 1 teaspoon semi-skimmed milk Options: almond, full-fat or other milks
- 2 cloves
- a pinch of salt
- 3 medium-large egg yolks (56 to 60g) – keep egg whites for stage 2
- 75g/half a cup (put 1 tablespoon in the milk) caster/superfine sugar or ground xylitol plus 20g/one-eighth of a cup for stage 2
- 15g/1 and a half tablespoons corn flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or heat 1/4 cinnamon stick in the milk) Option: pinch of nutmeg.
- 1/8 teaspoon or 10 drops bitter almond extract Waitrose or Nielsen-Massey (optional)
- 40g/a third of a cup plus 2 tsp ground almonds (or 40g pistachio paste)
Heat the milk, cloves and salt with one tablespoon of the sugar in a heavy-based saucepan till just simmering. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar or xylitol and whisk 3 minutes till pale and fluffier. Whisk in the corn flour, ground almonds. ground cinnamon and almond extract till combined. Pour the warm milk into the large bowl while whisking. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and whisk constantly on low-medium heat till it thickens. As soon as it starts thickening take off the heat and keep whisking, taking in all the edges. Try to get a nice creamy consistency that holds . If too runny return to the heat to thicken while whisking constantly. You can rescue lumpy crème pâtissière by passing it through a sieve. Pour into a small clean bowl, level out then cover with clingfilm on contact (on the surface) and chill in the fridge.
Butter and sugar the moulds
Put a little softened butter in each mold and brush the bottom, then the sides with vertical lines. Add a teaspoon or two of caster/superfine sugar and tap and shake (over another mould so it catches the excess sugar) to cover the bottom then the sides. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to chill.
STAGE 2
Your egg whites and crème pâtissier should be at room temperature (so out of the fridge around an hour)
Preparation: Spoon the cherries with very little liquid carefully into the moulds without touching or dirtying the sides (use remaining liquid in a fruit salad). Then return to the fridge.
Baking the soufflés
4 large egg whites (150-160g) – 20g/2 scant tablespoons caster/superfine sugar or ground xylitol
Preheat the oven to 180°C (static, non-convection oven) or 160°C (fan-assisted oven) – make sure there’s a baking tray heating in the oven too, which you’ll place your soufflé dishes on
- Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl till they form soft peaks.
- Add the 20g of caster sugar gradually till you have shiny stiff peaks, but not dry. They should just reach the stage where they don’t fall out of the bowl upside-down.
- Fold a fifth of the whites into the crème pâtissier to loosen it up
- Fold in the remaining whites till just combined. Don’t overwork or it will flatten out
- Pour or spoon carefully into your moulds. Unlike my cheese soufflés these work best if filled to the top. Slide a butter knife across to even out the surface and clean the rim with a piece of paper. Some people use their thumb or a butter knife to create a small groove between the rim and soufflé batter.
- Bake your soufflés immediately or later, for 20 to 25 minutes (18 mins if you’d like a softer texture in the middle). Try to never open the oven door while they’re baking though you could after 20 mins.
- Sift icing sugar lightly over the tops and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Have everyone ready with spoon in hand to eat your soufflés as soon as they’re out of the oven! And be fast taking photos! 🙂
