Berry Delicious Souffle

Warm raspberry soufflé is flavored with raspberry brandy and garnished with red currants and sprigs of mint and topped with raspberry coulis in this gourmet recipeby Chef Arthur Dorshner. This makes a striking dessert dish for a special occasion. A delicate dish to prepare, soufflé requires precision and some patience to do successfully. Many things can go wrong in making a perfect soufflé. If the eggs are not whisked properly and prepared in the order it should be, the soufflé might fail to rise and you end up with a flat and unappetizing dish. Perfectly done soufflé should feel firm to the touch with a golden crust on top. If you shake it gently, it will jiggle only a bit and will be smooth and silky to the bite.

One of the most important things to remember when making the soufflé is that the egg whites and the egg yolks must be whisked separately. You should also take care that no trace of the yolk will get to the white and no trace of the white eggs should stick to the yolk. Just a small speck of fat, found in the egg yolks, will fail to create stiff and stable white foam that is necessary for a light and airy soufflé.

Ingredients

1.3 lbs. raspberries
6 egg yolks, 8 egg whites (beaten)
2 tablespoons wild raspberries eau de vie (brandy)
7 tablespoons sugar
2 bourbon vanilla pods

Decoration:
8 mint leaves
¾ cup raspberry sauce
 (fresh raspberry pulp, mixed with sugar)

1. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and place them in different mixing bowls.

2. Whisk the egg yolks, gradually adding some sugar until smooth and creamy. Cut the vanilla pods and extract the grains, mix in with the egg yolks. Add a dash of brandy to flavor and continue whisking until smooth.

3. Using a clean and dry whisk, whisk the egg whites until stiff and foamy. Add sugar and pinch of salt and whisk in.

4. Fold the foamy egg white into the yolk mixture using a spatula until you get a thick and puffy batter.

5. On a baking plate, pour raspberry coulis in the center. Heap fresh raspberries on top of the coulis. Pour soufflé batter over the raspberries, covering them and creating a dome. Place berries around the soufflé. Bake in the oven for 360 degrees for twelve minutes.

6. Pour coulis around the soufflé. Decorate with a sprig of mint and some red currant.

Use clean utensils that are well dried for beating the egg whites and yolks. The whisk or beater should be clean when beating the egg yolks, and should also be clean and dried for beating the whites. Don’t use the same whisk to prevent the yolks from unnecessarily getting to the whites. The egg whites should be beaten until stiff, smooth and moist. Care must also be taken not to overbeat the egg whites or they will be thick, flaky and dull and won’t fold into the batter well. The bubbles should be very fine and the peaks should be soft.