Now I have to confess that starting this challenge came to me accidently... It was something I had always thought about doing but always put off for no good reason. Then when shopping with Mum during the summer holidays we bought some passion fruits to eat with a pavlova. We got home, the pavlova was duly made and we realised that we hadn't actually bought ripe passion fruits... Now the fruits have ripened and the pavlova is long gone so I had to find a new recipe to try out!
My first port of call was the internet, where I came across plenty of great recipes but I knew I had seen a recipe among my Mum's collection of cookery books. I love cooking from cook books, it feels more reassuring, more grounded, and although I love drawing on other people's sites for cooking ideas and recipes, the formal cookbook has precise metric measurements and equipment specifications that can be very reassuring when making something as temperamental as a soufflé or pastries. I've spent hours on other recipes trying to convert measurements from cups to grams, reducing quantities to fit my student budget or replacing ingredients that you can't get in the UK. I eventually remembered my long-favourite book, by Michel Roux and hence my challenge has begun with a Passion Fruit Soufflé.
I started out by making the pastry cream earlier in the day, just to spread the load as our kitchen at home is a little on the small side and from previous experiences of making soufflés, I know I make a great deal of mess! Definitely worth doing because you want the pastry cream to just be warm not hot when you incorporate it with the egg whites. Plus phaffing around and whisked egg whites do not go together! [Note - most recipes I saw online didn't use a pastry cream, I guess just for speed and ease]
I made the soufflés a little later on and found the recipe straight forward enough, if a little nerve racking as I realised that the mixture was really far too much for my needs! All in all, I was really pleased with how they turned out - a nice golden colour on top, light centre and just enough of the passion fruit flavour. I think less sugar next time, 2mins more in the oven, and maybe a touch lower temperature just to make sure they don't catch with that extra time.
[Pastry Cream, makes ~750g] Recipe taken from Desserts - A lifelong passion, Michel Roux
I reduced the quantities in to 1/3 of the original as that is all that is required for the souffle mixture but I will give the full quantities here.
6 egg yolks
125g caster sugar
40g plain flour
500ml milk
1 vanilla pod, split
A little butter or icing sugar for cooling
1. Whisk the egg yolks with 1/3 of the sugar until pale and of a light ribbon consistency.
2. Sift in the flour and mix it in thoroughly.
3. In a saucepan, bring the milk to the boil with the remaining 2/3 of the sugar and the vanilla pod.
4. As soon as it starts to bubble, pour about 1/3 on to the egg mixture, stirring continuously.
5. Pour the egg and milk mixture back in to the saucepan and bring back to a gentle boil, stirring continuously. Bubble for 2mins, then transfer to a bowl.
6. Dot the surface with flakes of the butter or sprinkle with the icing sugar to stop a skin from forming as it cools.
[Note - pastry cream can be stored in the fridge at 5 ° for 36 hours]
[Passion Fruit Soufflé - makes 4-6 depending on size of ramekin used]
The book uses 10cm diameter by 6cm depth ramekins, mine were 10cm by 5cm and there was way too much mixture.
~30g softened butter
~30g caster sugar
120g caster sugar
250g pastry cream
10 passion fruit (I used 4 and thought that it was plenty)
8 egg whites
Prepare the soufflé dishes/ramekins by brushing the sides with the softened butter and then coating them with the sugar.
Preheat the oven to 190 °C/375 °F/gas 5 and put in the baking tray to heat up.
1. Rewarm the pastry cream if necessary in a baun-marie or in the microwave so that it is tepid (not hot, but lukewarm).
2. Halve and remove the seeds and pulp from the passion fruits. (You can save some for decoration if you like).
3. Blend the seeds in a blender for a few seconds to break them up and then add to the pastry cream.
4. Beat the egg whites until half-risen and then add the sugar and continue to beat until the peaks are semi-firm. (I took that to when the peaks stood for a moment then collapsed on themselves).
5. Mix 1/3 of the egg whites in to the pastry cream then fold in the rest of the egg whites with a spatula.
6. Pour in to the ramekins and gently smooth the surfaces with a palette knife.
7. Place on the hot baking sheet and cook for 7-8 minutes. (I would put them in for a few minutes longer at a lower heat but that could just be my oven).
Et viola! This was the second time I had ever attempted soufflés and this time was much less messy than the first! And the finished product wasn't too bad either...
