"Good Times" Raspberry Souffles-Famous Fridays
I know I already made The Silver Palate Cookbook the subject of a Famous Fridays post but this airy delight is from The Silver Palate "Good Times" Cookbook, and these individual raspberry souffles are so pretty and so delicious and so perfect for the tomorrow of Valentine's Day, that I thought you wouldn't mind. If you're making a romantic homemade meal tomorrow night and are still undecided about dessert, fear not! Though impressive looking, these are easy to make and can be totally assembled earlier and then just popped into the oven 15 minutes before you're ready to indulge!
This sequel to The Silver Palate, again by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, is filled with celebratory recipes for all sorts of holidays and festivities and is organized into 4 seasonal categories, making good use of the freshest ingredients. Plus there are great little helpful sidebars ranging from menus, to how to pick a ripe pineapple, to the best way to throw a toga party! Fun stuff, guys!!
Though some of the recipes are a bit heavy on the ingredients, that's not the case with these little souffles. Basically they are just a combination of frozen raspberries, sugar and egg whites. The original recipe calls for frozen raspberries packed in light syrup but though I searched high and low, I couldn't find them anywhere, so I took a package of frozen raspberries, defrosted them, mixed them with some sugar and let them macerate for a day in the refrigerator to create my own raspberries in syrup. So delicious!
Then it's just a matter of beating the egg whites with the sugar until they are stiff--
And folding the pureed raspberries in, before you fill your ramekins with that very pink mixture!
Then you line them up on a tray and bake for about 15 minutes.
You will not believe how high these rise when you first take them out of the oven!!!
Top them with a little whipped cream and you have a fancy restaurant-worthy dessert that was easy to make right in the convenience of your own home!
The souffles are airy, creamy and full of the wonderful tartness of raspberries! A wonderful way light way to end a special meal with those you love!! Happy Valentine's Day!!
"Good Times" Raspberry Souffles-Famous Fridays
Makes 6-7 individual souffles
Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus several hours for berries to macerate); Bake Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 package frozen raspberries (about 12 oz.), defrosted
- 1 cup sugar, divided, plus extra for coating the ramekins
- 4 egg whites, room temperature
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons framboise liqueur or Grand Marnier (optional)
The Recipe
1. Place thawed raspberries in a bowl with 1/2 cup of the sugar and mix gently. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, until the berries are sitting a nice syrupy mixture.
2. Puree the raspberries with the syrup in a food processor or blender until smooth.
3. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Butter 6 individual ramekins (I had enough mixture for 7) and lightly coat each one with sugar. Set aside.
4. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a hand held mixer) beat the egg whites to soft peaks and then beat in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat mixture until the peaks are very stiff and glossy.
5. Gently fold the pureed raspberries into the egg whites. Transfer the batter to a large pitcher or measuring cup for easier handling and fill the ramekins to the tops.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, until souffles are puffed and golden. If you like the inside firmer and less gooey, leave them in for another 2 minutes or so.
7. While souffles are baking, whip the cream with the liqueur (if using--I didn't) to soft peaks.
8. Remove the souffles from the oven, top with a dollop of whipped cream and serve immediately.
9. Surprisingly, if there are any leftovers, the souffles reheat very well. Wrap them with plastic wrap when cooled and store them in the refrigerator. When ready to eat, put the oven to 325ºF and cook them for 7-8 minutes. Mine rose almost as much as the first time and tasted delicious!
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook, by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. I made my own raspberries in syrup but if you can find them readymade, use them by all means. I also left out the liqueur in the whipped cream.
