25 Mar Easy Passion Fruit Soufflés

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Have you ever tasted a soufflé? These gorgeously puffy little cakes are slightly crisp on the outside and light and mousse-like on the inside. They can be sweet or savoury, and are made by folding whipped egg whites and a flavour component (e.g. fruit pulp, melted chocolate, cheese etc) into a custard-like base.

If you thought you couldn’t recreate this classic French dessert at home, think again! I’ve recently discovered an incredible shortcut that will make soufflé-baking a cinch. By using Danone Ultra Mel Vanilla Custard as your base, you need only add a little fruit purée, fold in some meringue and voila! Not only does this save you on time, but it also lends that indulgent Danone Ultra Mel Vanilla Custard flavour to your soufflés.

My two top tips when making a souffle: don’t overmix your egg whites (if they go dry and start separating, you’ve overmixed them), and serve your soufflés immediately. These babies wait for no-one!

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

For the soufflés:
1 tbsp softened butter and 4 tbsp castor sugar (for preparing the ramekins)

125ml Danone Ultra Mel Vanilla Custard  (½ cup)
2 passion fruits
4 large egg whites (at room temperature)
pinch of salt
30ml castor sugar (2 tbsp)
1 tbsp icing sugar, for dusting

For the passion fruit sauce:
125ml fresh passion fruit pulp (½ cup)
90ml castor sugar (6 tbsp)
squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

Directions:

• Start by making the passion fruit sauce. Place the pulp and castor sugar into a small saucepan. Heat the mixture over low heat. Gently bring to the boil, stirring frequently and allow to boil for 3 minutes until the mixture becomes syrupy. Taste and add a squeeze of lemon juice if desired for a more tangy sauce. 
• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Use a pastry brush to coat each ramekin with the softened butter, brushing upwards towards the edges. Fill each ramekin with about 1 tbsp of castor sugar, then rotate until the whole ramekin is coated and shake out the excess sugar.
• Place the Danone Ultra Mel Vanilla Custard into a large bowl. Strain the pulp of 2 passion fruits – you should get about 2 tbsp of juice. Add the juice to the custard and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, add the egg whites and a pinch of salt. Beat with an electric or stand mixer until you have soft peaks. Gradually add the castor sugar and continue whisking until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. 
• Stir about a third of the egg whites into the custard, then very gently fold in the remaining egg whites until combined. Divide the mixture between the 4 ramekins and use a knife or palette knife to level the tops. Run your thumbnail around the rim of each ramekin (this helps the souffles rise with nice and neat edges).
• Place the ramekins on a baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes or until well risen and golden on top.
• Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately with the passion fruit sauce and extra Danone Ultra Mel Vanilla Custard.