Fat Friday #9 Traditional Souffle

 

Welcome to the start of the weekend, but before that its that time of the week! NO, NOT BATH DAY! Its Fat Friday! This week we're looking at a traditional pastry cream soufflé. I've been practicing this with my pastry class. The recipe below features a spiced crumb which is worth making a couple of days before as it can be a lot for one day. This makes a good airy dessert, and also fairly impressive sounding at dinner parties. Mind you, you still wont get 10/10 on Come Dine with Me, because you forgot to match the wine....



Recipe: Makes 4 souffles (Recipe provided by my tutor)

Pain D’Epices (French Spiced Bread):

·       125g Strong flour

·       125g Plain flour

·       20g Baking powder

·       50g sugar

·       1 teaspoon cinnamon

·       1 teaspoon nutmeg

·       1 teaspoon star anise

·       30g candied peel

·       Seeds from one Vanilla pod

·       Grated orange zest

·       Grated lemon zest

·       250g warm honey

·       125ml whole milk

·       165g (about 3) eggs

Pastry Cream/Crème Patisserie

• 40g sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 25g soft flour
• 30g corn flour
• 300ml milk
• 1 vanilla pod, split

Souffle:

• 4 egg whites
• 40g sugar

Equipment:

• Bowl
• Whisk/hand-held electric whisk
• Chopping Board
• Saucepan
• Knife
• Wooden Spoon
• Measuring Jug
• Teaspoon
• Tablespoon
• Timer
• 4 Ramekins
• Baking sheet covered with a damp tea towel
• Cling Film
• Piping bag
• Scissors
• Blender
• Loaf tin lined with silicone paper

Pain D’Epices Bread

1.    Preheat the oven Gas Mark 2/ 300f/150f .

2.    Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl, along with the zests, peel and vanilla seeds. Mix briefly.

3.    Add the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Place in the prepared loaf tin and bake for 40 minutes or until golden.

4.    Leave to dry for at least 24 hours or until very dry.

5.    In a blender, blend until fine breadcrumbs.
 
For the Pastry Cream

  1.    Pour the milk in a saucepan. Add the vanilla seeds and the pod, bring the milk to the boil.  2.    Beat the sugar and egg until a pale yellow, thick and cream. Whisk in the flour and cornflour.

3.    Remove the vanilla bean from the milk, and stir ½ of the milk into the egg yolk mixture and whisk well to combine.

4.    Return the all of the mixture to a saucepan on a low heat and whisk continuously until the pastry cream is thick and yellow.

5.    Place the pastry cream in a clean bowl and cover the surface with cling film. Put aside to cool and refrigerate until needed.

Preparation for the Ramekins:

1.    Chill ramekins in the fridge for as long as possible.
2.    Melt a little butter in a saucepan.
3.    Meanwhile get a tray lined with a damp teatowel ready.
4.    Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom of the ramekin and the sides using vertical strokes. Chill the ramekins in the fridge.
5.    Line the ramekins with the pain d’epices crumbs and place in the fridge until needed.

To Complete the Souffle:

1.    Whisk 400g of egg white with 20g of sugar. Continue to whisk and gradually add the remaining sugar until the egg whites are very fluffy.
2.    In a clean bowl, whisk the pastry cream to loosen.
3.    Mix the egg whites with the pastry cream until combined.
4.    Divide the mixture into the prepared ramekins using a piping bag, level with a palette knife, then pinch the sides to create an even soufflé bake.

5.    Bake at Gas Mark 4/350c/180c for 16 minutes, turning carefully once after 6 minutes they should be golden and very fluffy.

Have you tried a soufflé before? Have a great weekend and Happy Baking!