Lemon, Lime and Orange Soufflé

Souffle sounds intimidating to a lot of bakers. At least to me. Before I found this foolproof recipe from Ben O'Donoghue, I had many inconsistent results.

Although I say foolproof, you need to have a certain discipline to make souffles. There are measurements and steps that need to be adhered to strictly in order to achieve the result. The egg whites need to be whipped to the correct consistency and the the brush strokes (when brushing the butter on to the ramekins) need to be upward.

Take me for example, I had a failed batch of souffles on the day I baked these souffles because I used expired egg whites straight from the fridge that I couldn't whip to the consistency needed. Oops....

You can use this recipe as the base and use different type of juices or fruit purees and I am sure your guests will be extremely impressed.

Lemon, Lime & Orange Soufflé Recipe
(Adapted from Raspberry Souffle in Serving The Menu Again by Ben O'Donoghue and Curtis Stone)
Serves 8

Ben O'Donoghue - "The souffle is one the trickiest desserts to make because its success depends on so many factors. This recipe is pretty foolproof and looks and tastes fantastic - one to pull out when you need to impress."

Ingredients

Base:
50 ml lemon Juice
50 ml lime Juice
400 ml orange juice
(You can replace the above with 500ml of other fruit juices or purees)
125 g / 4 1/2 oz caster sugar
4 tsp cornflour
Water

Souffle Mix:
10 egg whites (room temperature)
Pinch of salt
100 g / 3 1/2 oz caster sugar
200 g / 7 oz butter, softened, enough to grease the moulds
100 g / 7 oz caster sugar, enough to coat the moulds
Icing sugar, for dusting
Creme anglaise or ice cream, to serve

Method

1. To make the base, place the fruit puree and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to the boil. Mix the cornflour with just enough water to make a smooth paste. Once the fruit puree reaches boiling point, reduce the heat to low and whisk the cornflour paste into the fruit puree a little at a time. Whisk for 1 minute and do not allow mixture to boil again. Remove from the heat and set aside. Chill to cool completely.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F.
3. Place the egg whites into a very clean, very large mixing bowl, add the salt and beat at high speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, a little at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form. Do not over whisk or the egg whites will break down and be unable to hold the air required to life the souffle.
4. Place the fruit puree base into a very large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add a little of the egg white mixture and stir in to loosen the consistency. Gently fold in the remaining egg white.
5. Brush the bases of 6 x 1-cup capacity ramekins with the softened butter, then, using upward strokes (this is very important), brush the sides. Chill in the refrigerator until set, and then repeat. Sprinkle in a little of the caster sugar, turning the ramekins to coat the base and sides. To fill the moulds, use a palette knife to spread the souffle mixture around the sides while holding the ramekin at a 45-degree angle. Fill the middle and smooth top top, without allowing any mixture to stick to the rim or run over the sides.
6. Place in the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden and well risen. Serve immediately dusted with icing sugar, and with creme anglaise or ice cream on the side, if you like.