Lemon Souffle With Raspberry-Honey Sauce and Fresh Raspberries

(Pictures illustrated compiled by Dylla, tq!)

I've made many cheese souffles and been amazed by them all. As I discovered, this simple recipe isn't so simple and it takes time to master it. The dessert versions of this classic French recipe are really special. For a successful souffle, you need room temperature eggs, a super-clean baking dish, and gobs of patience. Before I was successful I had three failures.

I baked my first one in an oval casserole dish with slanted sides and it fell flat as a pancake. At the time, I didn't know I needed a special baking dish with straight sides. After I bought a souffle dish my baking efforts were always successful.

Julia Child writes about her baking challenges in "The French Chef Cookbook." She describes the recipe as the prima donna of the kitchen. Even the talented Julia encountered problems and, by her own account, had at least 28 failures before she made a presentable strawberry souffle. "They have to be baked just so, and served just when, and are always trembling and on the verge of collapse," she writes. "They are the boss of things, not you."

Dessert souffles -- fluffy spoonfuls of sweetness -- are delicious plain. Chocolate is one of the most popular flavors and is often served with sauce. Others are garnished with fruit. This reduced calorie recipe, about 175 per serving, is a dramatic ending to dinner. You have to time it right, however, or as Julia said so well, it will be on the verge of collapse. So ring a bell or call loudly when this dessert comes out of the oven.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar-free raspberry jam
2 tablespoons warm water
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup skim milk
Zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
5 large egg whites, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 pint fresh raspberries

Method

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk jam, water and honey together in a small bowl. Set sauce aside. In a medium saucepan, dissolve cornstarch and sugar in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and becomes thick. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon zest and extract. Put egg yolks and eggs in a small bowl and whites in a small mixer bowl. Beat eggs and yolks with fork. Add two tablespoons of the thickened cornstarch mixture to the eggs. Pour into saucepan and cook another minute.

Using an electric mixer set on high, beat egg whites until they are foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue beating until the whites are stiff, but not dry. Stir in a generous spoonful of whites into cornstarch mixture. Gently fold in remaining whites. Turn batter into a 1-quart baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until it has risen and is a bit brown. Spoon into dessert dishes, drizzle with raspberry sauce, and garnish with fresh berries. Makes 4 generous servings.

Copyright 2011 by Harriet Hodgson

http://www.harriethodgson.com Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for 30+ years. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from Amazon. Centering Corporation published her 26th book, "Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life" and a companion journal with 100 writing jump-starts. The company also published her latest book, "The Spiritual Woman: Quotes to Refresh and Sustain Your Soul." Hodgson has another book out, "101 Affirmations to Ease Your Grief Journey: Words of Comfort, Words of Hope," also available from Amazon. Please visit her website and learn more about this busy author and grandmother. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harriet_Hodgson