Some desserts are intimately associated with Valentine’s day — anything containing chocolate, strawberries or passion fruit. The other classic being a soufflé; they are just so showy and have a reputation for being difficult. Showy they are, indeed, but as long as you follow the instructions. Serve them immediately so they do not collapse. This is a rich and indulgent slightly boozy dish; ideal as a Valentine’s day treat.
Prep time 20 minutes/Cook time 40 minutes/Serves 4
Ingredients:
250g (1/2 lb) soft or ready-to-eat prunes, pitted
500ml (2 cups) Ceylon tea, cold
Butter, for greasing
6 eggs, whites only (use 4 from the custard)
to dust icing sugar
For the Armagnac Custard:
4 eggs, yolks only (use the whites for soufflé)
2 tbsp golden caster sugar, plus extra to dust
300ml (1 ¼ cups) single cream
1 vanilla pod, split
5 tbsp Armagnac, plus extra for the soufflé
Method:
Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan/360°F/gas mark 4). Put the prunes in a baking dish and add enough tea to just cover them. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes until soft and the liquid is syrupy. Cool, then blend the prunes and syrup to a purée.
For the custard: whisk the egg yolks and sugar with an electric whisk until the mixture is pale and thick enough to hold a trail when you lift out the whisk. Combine the cream and vanilla pod in a pan, bring just to a boil then strain through a fine-meshed sieve. Add the hot cream to the sugar and egg mixture little by little, beating until it is all mixed in. Put the bowl over a pan of very hot but not boiling water, and cook, stirring until the mixture is beginning to thicken a little, and feels hot to the touch. Be careful not to overcook or the eggs will scramble. Now add the Armagnac, and to stop the cooking (or you’ll cook off the alcohol) immediately cool over a bowl of ice.
Lightly butter 4 × 300ml (1 1/4 cup) individual soufflé dishes, right up to the top of the rim. It’s really important to cover every inch of the inside to ensure your soufflés rise evenly. Now dust the buttered surfaces with caster sugar, tip out any excess, then pop the prepared ramekins in your refrigerator to chill.
Heat your oven to 200°C(180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6). In a clean mixing bowl, slacken the prune purée with a little armagnac until easily spoonable. In a second, very clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks are just forming, then stop. It’s crucial not to overbeat or your soufflé will collapse.
Take about a quarter of the beaten egg white and gently stir into the prune purée. Now add the remainder, folding the two together gently, using a circular figure of eight action – this distributes the whites evenly and ensures you don’t knock the air out of the soufflé.
Fill the soufflé dishes to the top, leaving no gaps. Flatten the top off with a palate knife then run your finger around the inside of the rim (this helps with the rise). Sit on a baking tray and cook for 15-20 minutes. The soufflé is fully cooked when it has risen above the rim by a third of the height of the dish.
Serve immediately, dusted with icing sugar and with the chilled custard to pour over.
