Raspberry and lemon soufflés

There’s no reason to be daunted by a hot soufflé. Soufflés rise because air incorporated into egg whites expands in the heat of the oven. So the trick is to use a light hand when folding the whisked egg whites through the raspberry mixture, and then serve them without delay.

SERVES 10

PREPARATION TIME 20 minutes (+ cooling and chilling)

COOKING TIME 18 minutes

300 g (10½ oz) fresh or thawed frozen raspberries

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

110 g (3¾ oz/½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar, plus 150 g (5½ oz/²/₃ cup), extra

3 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch)

30 g (1 oz) butter, softened

5 egg whites, at room temperature

Icing (confectioners’) sugar, to dust

150 g (5½ oz) fresh raspberries, extra, to serve

1 Put the raspberries in a food processor bowl and process until puréed. Push the purée through a fine sieve set over a bowl. Discard the pips. Measure 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) sieved raspberry purée.

2 Place the measured raspberry purée in a small saucepan with 1 tablespoon strained lemon juice, the caster sugar and 2 tablespoons water and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat. Combine the cornflour with 3 teaspoons water and add to the raspberry mixture while whisking constantly. Return to a medium heat and cook for 1 minute whisking continuously. Remove from the heat, transfer to a large heatproof bowl and allow to cool slightly, then refrigerate until well chilled.

3 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6). Grease ten 185 ml (6 fl oz/¾ cup) soufflé dishes with the softened butter — use a pastry brush to brush the base, then make upward strokes around the side (pic 1). Dust with 75 g (2¾ oz/¹/₃ cup) of the extra sugar, turning the dishes to lightly coat and discarding any excess. Place the dishes on a baking tray.

4 Put the egg whites in a clean, dry large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment to whisk until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar, whisking well after each addition, until thick and glossy. Remove the raspberry and lemon mixture from the refrigerator. Add one-third of the egg white mixture and use a large metal spoon or spatula to gently fold together (pic 2) until almost combined. Add the remaining egg white mixture and the lemon zest and gently fold through until just combined.

5 Spoon the mixture into the prepared soufflé dishes and use a large palette knife to level off the tops. Lightly tap each dish on the bench to expel any air pockets. Run the tip of your thumb around the inside of each dish to create an edge (pic 3) — this will help the soufflé rise evenly.

6 Place the dishes on a baking tray and bake for 12 minutes or until the soufflés have risen and are golden. Remove from the oven, dust with icing sugar and serve immediately with fresh raspberries.