Recipes: Rise to the occasion and whisk up the ideal soufflé

Charles’s law states that as a given volume of trapped gas is heated it expands in proportion to its temperature. So when a soufflé is placed in a searing oven the air bubbles inside expand and it rises but, as it cools the air bubbles shrink and it deflates like a balloon. You have to get soufflés to the table quickly to prevent them falling, but they will come to no harm if left in a hot oven with the heat turned off for about 10 mins. The base for soufflés can be made well in advance, leaving whipped egg whites to be folded into the prepared base just before a brief stint in the oven. This makes them ideal for slipping in the oven between courses. All soufflés contain egg whites which need to be whisked to stiff, moist, glossy peaks. Too dry and they are difficult to fold into the base. Too soft and they will turn the soufflé to liquid. Ideally the foam should be a similar texture to the base into which they are being stirred. And finally – do not worry too much about opening the oven door when cooking. The soufflé cannot fall unless it starts to cool. So do it quickly if you must!

Top tips for making the perfect hot soufflé

Ensure all utensils are spotlessly clean when beating eggs whites. Use thin sided soufflé dishes (8cm in diameter by 5cm high) as these conduct heat well. Run a clean thumb around the edge of the filled soufflé dish to form a 1cm ridge in the mixture. This stops the soufflé sticking and helps it rise to a great shape. Preheat oven to the correct temperature.

Raspberry soufflé

There are two preparatory stages to making a successful hot fruit soufflé. The first is to make a fruit panade which is a cross between a jam and a fruit puree. The second is to get the preparation of the soufflé dishes right.

Serves 4

Raspberry panade: 500g fresh raspberries (reserve 8 for the centre of the soufflés), 30g caster sugar, 2 tsp cornflour. For the souffle: 3 egg whites, 75g caster sugar

Place raspberries and sugar in a saucepan and cook gently for approximately five mins. Cool and pass through a fine sieve to remove pips then place into a saucepan and heat gently. Mix the cornflour with a little cold water and add to the warm raspberries. Stir over the heat until the mixture thickens. Pace in a bowl and cool.

Lightly butter the sides of four soufflé dishes and cool in the fridge for a few minutes. Place a small amount of caster sugar in each dish and roll the sugar around the side.

Preheat the oven to 200C/ gas mark 4. Beat the egg whites until stiff, moist and glossy. Add a couple of teaspoons of the caster sugar to the egg whites and continued to beat. Beat remaining sugar into the egg white. Place two tblpns of the beaten egg white into the raspberry panade and mix together. Fold in the remaining egg white using a metal spoon. Half fill four prepared soufflé dishes with the egg white and fruit mixture. Bang the soufflé dish on a hard surface to level. Place two “surprise” raspberries in the centre of each soufflé dish. Continue to fill the soufflé dish with the mixture until it reaches the rim. Level with a palette knife.

Run a clean thumb around the edge of the filled soufflé dish to form a 1cm ridge in the mixture. This helps the soufflé rise to a great shape. Place the soufflés in the centre of a preheated oven for eight mins. When the soufflés are ready, remove and dust with sieved icing sugar.

Hot chocolate soufflé with fresh cherries

Serves 4

110g dark chocolate, 55g caster sugar, 4 egg yolks, 2 tbsp Kirsch, 5 egg whites, Icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Prepare four soufflé dishes as above. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Stir the chocolate until it has melted. Add sugar, egg yolks and Kirsch and continue to stir until well mixed. Remove from the heat and leave the mixture to cool a little. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fluffy and fold gently into the chocolate mixture. Fill each soufflé dish to the rim and run a clean thumb around the edge to form a 1cm ridge in the mixture. Fill a baking tray filled with 5cm of hot water, place the soufflé dishes in the water and put the tray in the oven. Cook for between 8-10 mins. Serve with a dusting of icing sugar, a bowl of deep red cherries and some crème fraîche. Top tip: freeze the completed soufflé mixture in the soufflé dish and cook from frozen while the main course is being eaten. Just add another 8-10 mins to the cooking time.

Lemon Soufflé

Serves 4

8g or 4 sheets of gelatine, 3 tbsp cold water, 3 eggs, separated, 140g caster sugar, juice and rind of two lemons, 150ml whipping cream, lightly whipped, 100g summer fruits; red currants, strawberries, raspberries, vanilla sugar (optional)

Place the gelatine and water in a small bowl and leave to soak for five minutes. Place the eggs yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk until thick. Gradually add the lemon juice and rind, continue whisking. Place the bowl of gelatine over a saucepan of water and gentle heat gently until dissolved. Place the lemon mixture in the fridge until it starts to set. Whisk the cream and the egg whites in two separate bowls. Fold the whipped cream into the lemon soufflé followed by the whisked egg whites. To give a soufflé appearance, tie a double band of oiled greaseproof paper around the soufflé dish to protrude 2.5cm above top of the dish. Pour the mixture into a soufflé dishes and leave to set in the fridge for 2-3 hours. When set, peel off the greaseproof paper collar and decorate with summer fruit or vanilla sugar.