Raspberry Soufflé

If you watch videos on YouTube, then you are familiar with Master Class adds. To me, there was one that stood out above all of them; Gordon Ramsay's second class. In it, he pours a smooth, deep red purée into a soufflé He takes a bite, and then collapses because of how good it is. After that, I have always wanted to make it without paying for the whole class. This recipe shows how to make it. It's a lot of work, but it is the best thing I have made.

The recipe is similar in technique to making macaroons, and consists of three main components: the purée, the pastry cream, and the egg whites. The pastry cream is first, and can be made a couple days before (3 days max) if you're making it for someone, or made Friday night for a Saturday night dessert.

This recipe is all in grams and decimals, so if you don't have a scale, then it will vary, and for something this exact, it might not come out right. I highly recommend getting one if you do not have one, because ever since i got mine, the number of recipes I can make doubled, and it is very good for dough recipes.

Pastry Cream Directions:

1. Line a bowl with plastic wrap so when you pour the mix over it, it does not actually touch the bowl. This is to stop it from developing a skin.

2. In a heat proof bowl (pyrex or metal) place 32.5g of egg yolks and 2.5g of vanilla extract, and whisk until combined. In thirds pour in 31g of granulated sugar, until it is dissolved in the egg yolks. After that, in thirds, pour in 25g of cornstarch and whisk the mixture until thick and smooth.

3. Over medium heat, scald 250g of milk (scalding was originally used to kill bacteria, but in the modern era, it is not needed, for this recipe is is really only an indicator of a correct temperature to have the milk at, but I don't know enough to change a recipe as complex as this). This means stir occasionally (every 15ish seconds) and when it starts to bubble, take off the heat.

4. While the milk is still hot, start putting the hot milk into the yolk mixture a tablespoon at a time. This is called tempering the eggs, as pouring the whole thing of milk will cause them to scramble. Tempering is like splashing yourself with water before entering the pool (metaphor by Roy Choi). Take a tablespoon of the milk and pour it in, then whisk in to the eggs well, and then keep doing that until half the milk mixture is combined with the yolk mixture, and then pour the sugary yolks and milk mix, back into the saucepan with the other half of the milk.

5. Place the whole mixture back on medium heat and stir until it thickens. Keep in mind that it will thicken in the fridge and as it cools, so you don't want it too thick when you pour it in. When it does, take off the heat and pour into your plastic lined bowl. Cover the surface of the cream with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a minimum of 30 mins and up to 3 days. This is what can be done ahead of time.

Purée Directions:

1. Rinse 300g of raspberries and then put in a colander/ strainer to remove the excess water.

2. Measure out 42g of granulated sugar, and 36.5g of water.

3. Combine the 3 ingredients in a saucepan, adding the raspberries, then pouring over the water, and then the sugar. Stir the bowl until you cannot see any sugar grains, but it does not have to be fully dissolved. Cover with a lid and let steam for 5-8 mins, and then remove the lid and stir for another 5 mins until thicker and syrupy.

4. Pour the mix (it's essentially a jam) into a blender and start on low, and eventuality turn up the speed to high, and when it is smooth, pour over a sieve and push it through so that the mix is smooth.

5. Weigh out 200g and set aside. Keep the remaining mix hot and keep as a garnish.

Egg White Directions:

1. Place 105g egg whites into a bowl. This amount will work for two soufflés (more in the notes). Whisk (with either a hand or stand mixer with a whisk attachment) and when foamy and bubbly, but not yet rising, add a little bit (a light squeeze from a bottle; probably about 1/8 tsp) of lemon juice and continue to whisk.

2. When the size of the whites are almost doubled (2/3 larger) slowly start to add 22.5g of granulated sugar.

3. When all the sugar is added, whisk until stiff peaks. It should hold it's form, but not break apart when scooped by the spoonful. When almost there, lift up the hand/ stand mixer so that it is only touching the top half of the whites, and not the actual bowl. Do this for 30 seconds, and then place at the bottom at the bowl again and whisk around for 10 seconds.

Filling Directions:

1. For every two soufflés you want to make, combine 100g of the purée and 40g of the pastry cream. Whisk them in a bowl until well combined.

2. Slowly fold in 105g of the egg whites in thirds, and fold them together, so they are one solid color, don't let out air, and keep it airy.

3. Before you spoon in this mix, brush softened butter into 6oz ramekins and on the vertical sides, brush vertically, and then pour some shaved (on a micro plane or fine cheese grater as a last resort) dark chocolate in the middle, and swirl so that is covers the bottom and then tilt the ramekin on its side and twist so that the chocolate covers the edges.

4. Scoop up spoonfuls of the mix and put in the ramekin until the center in a little higher than the edges of the ramekin, and the sides are just below. Bang the ramekins on the table to move and pack down the filling, and if it doesn't reach the top, add more and bang again. If it does, then use a straight edge to level it, but do not waste the precious filling.

5. Lay the tip of your thumb into the very edge of the mold, and put it in horizontally, rather than vertically, and run it along the edge of mold, so it forms a ring. This helps it rise up and evenly.

6. Clean up the edges of any spilled filling and place in a 355F or 180C oven on a baking dish (no more than two at a time) for 12 mins. When they come out dust with powdered sugar. Eat while they are risen and hot, and enjoy!

Note:

If you want to make 4 soufflés then double the purée and pastry cream per the filling, not the total batch. The limiting factor (what will run out first) here is the raspberries, and the recipe yields just over 200g of the purée; the rest should be kept warm as a garnish. For 4 soufflés, combine 200g of the purée and 80g of the pastry cream, and double the egg whites so it is 210g. The whole batch makes 5 soufflés, but only two should be in the oven at a time. Don't panic if it doesn't rise immediately, it doesn't make much progress in the first five mins.

This is a harder recipe, so I added more pictures than usual: