For me, a holiday in France would be incomplete without a soufflé. If you are not a fan of marmalade but like orange, then simply make the dish omitting the marmalade – although I think you will find that its bitterness makes the soufflé very special.
preparation time 30 minutes
cooking time 30 minutes
serves 6
Ingredients
250 ml (8 fl oz) milk
finely grated zest of 1⁄2 orange
5 egg yolks
90 g (31⁄2 oz) caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
25 g (1 oz) plain flour
15 g (1⁄2 oz) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
a little icing sugar
8 egg whites
a pinch of salt
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier
6 tablespoons fine-cut orange marmalade
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400°F, gas mark 6.
2 Lightly grease 6 individual soufflé dishes with soft butter, ensuring that they are evenly coated. Put some caster sugar inside one dish and turn it to coat, then tip the sugar into the next dish. Repeat this process until all the dishes are sugar coated.
3 Put the milk and orange zest into a pan and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat. Whisk 4 of the egg yolks with 50 g (2 oz) of the caster sugar until fluffy. Rain in the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Pour on half the hot milk, mix together and then pour this mixture into the remaining hot milk.
4 Put the pan back on a very low heat and whisk until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon and has body. Cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring all the time.
5 Pour the mixture into a large bowl and mix in the remaining egg yolk and the butter. Sprinkle a little icing sugar over the surface to prevent a skin forming.
6 Whisk the egg whites with the salt until they form soft peaks. Add the remaining caster sugar and whisk until firm.
7 Lightly whisk a third of the egg white mixture into the soufflé base to loosen it. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in the remaining egg whites and add the Grand Marnier.
8 Spoon the mixture into the prepared soufflé dishes so that they are half full. Place a spoonful of marmalade in each one and then top up with the rest of the mixture. Wipe away any surplus mixture from the edge of the dishes (this will help the soufflés to rise).
9 Put the dishes in a roasting tin containing a little cold water and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 190°C, 375°F, gas mark 5 and bake for a further 5 minutes, until well risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven, put the soufflé dishes on serving plates and dust the tops with a little icing sugar. Serve immediately.