Joe Swash’s white chocolate soufflés with raspberry sauce
Individual sweet souffles with fruity sauce make for a decadent dessert.
“Getting to grips with making soufflés on Celebrity MasterChef was a real stepping stone for me as a cook,” says Joe Swash, who now has a family cookbook out.
“I went from thinking that such things were impossible, to finding out I could do it. It was an eyeopener, making me realise I could cook really good food if I just put my mind to it and concentrated.”
White chocolate soufflés with raspberry sauce
Ingredients:
(Makes 4)
50g caster sugar
30g plain flour
1tsp cornflour
100g white chocolate, grated or chopped
175ml whole milk
3 pieces of pared orange zest (optional)
A few drops of vanilla extract
4 eggs, separated
½tsp cream of tartar (optional)
To coat the ramekins:
15g butter, melted
2tsp caster sugar
For the sauce:
250g raspberries (frozen are fine)
25g caster sugar
Squeeze of lemon juice
½tsp cornflour (optional)
1tbsp framboise (optional)
To serve:
A few more berries (preferably fresh)
200ml double cream (optional)
Vanilla ice cream (optional)
Method:
1. First make the sauce. Put the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan with 50ml of water. Heat slowly, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then continue to cook until the raspberries have broken down.
2. If using the cornflour to thicken, mix it with a splash of water. Stir into the berries and keep stirring until the sauce starts to thicken. Push through a sieve into a clean saucepan and add the framboise, if using.
3. You need four 150ml ramekins. To prepare them, brush melted butter around the insides. Dust the insides with caster sugar and put the ramekins in the fridge to chill.
4. Mix the sugar, flour, cornflour and white chocolate together in a medium bowl.
5. Heat the milk with the pared orange zest, if using, and the vanilla extract. When the milk is close to boiling point, pour it from a height over the flour mixture, whisking as you do so. Keep whisking until the chocolate has melted and you have a lump-free liquid.
6. Tip the mixture back into the saucepan and heat, bringing it back up to boiling point. Stir constantly as the custard mixture will thicken very quickly. As soon as you can tell it is thickening, whisk vigorously to prevent any lumps forming.
7. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the custard to a bowl. Leave to cool, then leave in the fridge to chill for at least half an hour or until you are close to wanting to cook your soufflés.
8. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Remove the custard from the fridge and beat in the egg yolks.
9. Whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar, if using, to stiff peaks stage. Fold into the custard mixture, a third at a time. Be gentle, so you don’t knock all the air out of the whites.
10. Ladle the mixture into the prepared ramekins right to the top. For the best rise, scrape a palette knife cleanly across the top, then run your finger around the inside rim of each ramekin.
11. Put the dishes in a roasting tin and carefully pour just-boiled water around them. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until well risen and lightly browned on top. Do not open the oven door to check during this time, as it will cause the soufflés to collapse!
12. Transfer the ramekins to four plates or shallow bowls. Pass the raspberry sauce and berries round – it is traditional to break into the top of the soufflé and pour in the sauce and/or cream or ice cream.
Joe’s Kitchen: Homemade Meals For A Happy Family by Joe Swash is published by Pavilion Books, priced £22. Photography by Dan Jones.
