What better way to use up those lovely blackberries than make a fantastic souffle with vanilla ice cream.
Here is a step-by-step guide to preparing and cooking this sweet delight that serves 4 people:
Ingredients
Soufflé
- Butter for greasing
- 100g of caster sugar, plus extra for lining
- 100g of Blackberry purée
- 10g of cornflour
- 2 egg whites, at room temperature
Ice Cream
- 6 egg yolks
- 125g of sugar
- 250ml of whole milk
- 250ml of double cream
- 1 vanilla pod, or 2-3 drops of essence
Equipment
- Bowl
- Balloon Wisk
- Saucepan
- Spatula
- Ice cream machine
- Ramekins
Top Tip
‘If you do not have an ice-cream machine follow the same steps but when it says CHURN just place the container in the freezer and whisk vigorously every 30 minutes until set and smooth’
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas mark 6
- Brush 4 ramekins with softened butter and chill
- For the soufflé base, place the fruit purée and 50g of the caster sugar into a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Combine the cornflour with approximately 2 teaspoons of water and add to the fruit purée. Cook for 5 minutes until it thickens to a jammy consistency. Weigh out 50g of this for the soufflé base.
- For the ice cream, combine the milk and double cream in a saucepan. Split the vanilla pod and scrape out to separate the seeds. Add both the seeds and remaining pod to the pan and place over a medium heat
- While the cream mixture is on the heat, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy in texture. Once the cream mixture comes to the boil, remove from the heat and pour slowly onto the egg yolks, continuously whisking until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined
- Return the mixture to the saucepan and place over a low-medium heat. Stir continuously until the mixture thickens slightly to coat the back of a wooden spoon or spatula (80˚C)
- Take the ice cream base of the heat, remove the pods of the vanilla and allow to cool
- Once cool, begin churning until thick. Sore in the freezer in a sealable container below -18 degrees Celsius
- Bake to the soufflé, put the egg whites into a bowl, and whisk to soft peaks. Add the remaining 50g sugar and continue whisking until it reaches semi-firm peaks
- Carefully fold 1/3 of the whites into the 50g blackberry base. Fold in another 1/3 then finally fold in the rest
- Fill the prepared ramekins, set well apart on a tray, and bake in the top of the oven for 5 minutes. Remove, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve immediately with the ice-cream on the side
By William Richards, Hospitality Training Officer.
The skill of Aeration is the process of allowing air to be combined into ingredients to make them lighter and/or create more volume and is a still that is learnt by apprentices when working towards an Apprenticeship Level 3 in Craft Cuisine & Professional Cookery. For more information about Apprenticeships contact Cambrian Training Company at cambriantraining.com or Tel: 01938 555893.