Caramel soufflé with instant banana ice cream
A delicately flavoured caramel soufflé makes an impressive dessert and the banana ice cream is a doddle – as long as you have some sliced bananas in the freezer.
Ingredients
- melted butter, for greasing
- 90g/3¼oz light soft brown sugar, plus extra for the ramekins
- 100ml/3½fl oz double cream
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- pinch salt
- 100ml/3½fl oz full-fat milk
- 3 free-range eggs, separated
- icing sugar, for dusting
For the instant banana ice cream
- 2 ripe bananas, sliced and frozen
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp double cream
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 and place a baking tray in the middle of the oven.
Brush the insides of four 9cm/3½in ramekins with melted butter, brushing upwards to help the soufflé rise. Add a little brown sugar to each and turn them to coat the sides and bottom, shaking out any excess. Set aside to chill in the fridge.
Put the cream, flour, cornflour and a pinch of salt into a bowl and whisk to a smooth paste.
Warm the milk in a large saucepan over a medium heat until just boiling. Gradually whisk the hot milk into the cream mixture, stirring until smooth.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan over a gentle heat and beat vigorously with a whisk until it’s thickened. Remove from the heat.
Using a wooden spoon, vigorously beat the egg yolks with 70g/2½oz of the sugar until they form a thick paste. Add this paste to the mixture in the saucepan and mix well until smooth. Put the pan back over a gentle heat and whisk until it is like very thick custard, then remove from the heat. Pour into a bowl to cool rapidly at room temperature.
Using an electric hand whisk, whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 20g/¾oz of sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Beat one large spoonful of this mixture into the cooled custard, then gently fold in the remainder, one third at a time, until there is no trace of egg white.
Fill the ramekins with the mixture and level off with a palette knife. Run your thumb around the inside rim of the ramekins to help them rise evenly. Place the ramekins on the hot baking tray and bake for about 14 minutes, until risen and turning golden. Don’t open the oven during cooking – watch the soufflés very carefully and take them out as soon as they’ve risen.
While the soufflés are baking, make the ice cream. Put the frozen bananas in a food processor with the maple syrup and a pinch of salt, then blend while gradually adding the cream, until smooth and frozen. Remove from the food processor and freeze rapidly until ready to serve.
Place the cooked soufflés on individual serving plates, dust the tops with icing sugar and serve a quenelle of ice cream on the side. Serve immediately.