Blood plum and honey soufflé

I thought I was prepared this week. I even bookmarked a couple of recipes. But as usual, I always give myself too much to do but this time, I do have a good excuse. It is New Year celebrations and I do have a very good friend in town so cooking has been placed on the back burner. Baking is definitely not one of my fortes. So a little tired from all the New Year celebration, I crazily decided to choose the souffle over the pudding for this week’s challenge. I had most of the ingredients except for the icing sugar required for dusting.

Anyway it was a lovely Sunday morning and there was always time for a sweet soufflé before we headed out for lunch. It had been a long time since I made my last soufflé and I was a little apprehensive. This recipe has few ingredients and I did adapt it a little as usual. I found this cookbook, Women’s Weekly – Old Fashioned Favourites, at the back of the book shelf. So many yummy baking delights and I am so glad I found it.

Ingredients:

• 55gms of castor sugar
• 4 ripe blood plums (the recipe used apricots but I found some juicy blood plums at the farmers market and thought why not?)
• 4 egg whites
• 2tbsp of honey
• 1tbsp of rose water (optional)

Method:

1. Grease 4 ramekins and sprinkle castor sugar and set aside.
2. Place blood plums in a heatproof bowl, add boiling water and cover for at least 2 minutes. Drain the water and allow it to cool slightly before skinning and chopping it finely.
3. Combine the blood plums, remaining sugar and honey in a pot and stir it till it is a jam like consistency
4. Whip the egg whites till it has soft peaks. Add the hot blood plum sauce and rose water. Whip till it is all mixed through
5. Fill the ramekins and place it in a preheated 180C oven for between 12-15mins

I failed on the first round. The book said 180C for 15mins but the top of my soufflé turned out too brown and it flopped as soon as I stuck my spoon in. #bigsouffleflop

Mister and brother Raymon was really supportive and urge me to try again. They were willing to keep their rumbling tummies on hold while I tried the second lot. This time, I used a spoon to fill the ramekins instead of the spatula. I then flatten the top and cleaned around the rims of the ramekins as I have watched on many lifetsyle food channels. And instead of waiting for 15mins in the oven, I removed them at 12mins.

It finally raised but still not as I wished it to be. I should not have been lazy and bought some icing sugar. It would have looked better in the photo. Lesson learnt. I need to be more prepared and get all ingredients. It was light and fluffy like eating clouds. It just did not look good. I shall try again next time. It is so simple with so few ingredients but so easy to get it wrong.

Everyone else’s post for this week’s challenge:

Ange from Vicious Ange – Cookies & cream ice cream
Shellie from Iron Chef Shellie – Mangomisu
Anthea from What’s For Tea? – Mint gelato
Arale79 from Meals on Budget – Durian cream sponge cake
Agnes from Off the Spork – Chocolate mousse
Leigh from Chit Chat Chomp – Tomato risotto
Rizka from ini, itu – Chicken congee
Rilsta from My Food Trail – Best ever baked cheesecake
Kate from Something by Kate – Lamb shanks in five spice, tamarind & ginger; Vanilla honey chai pannacotta
Sarah from The Sugar Junkie – Raspberry sorbet
Jeff from Thermomixer – Grape bavarois

Tagged as: dessert & sweet, egg, fruits, recipe