Queen’s Mango Soufflés with Rhubarb Sorbet ▶
These elegant soufflés hold a colorful secret: a soft center of rhubarb sorbet. The mango-rhubarb combination is tasty and unusual. Note that the sorbet could appear on a menu by itself.
Ingredients
- Softened Butter - 2 to 3 tablespoons
- Sugar - 2 to 3 tablespoons
- Rhubarb Sorbet
- Rhubarb Stalks - 1 pound, trimmed and chopped
- Sugar - 1/2 cup
- Water - 1/2 cup
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Grape Jelly - 1/2 cup, preferably white grape jelly
- Mango Soufflés
- Mango Puree - 1-1/4 cups
- Corn Starch - 2 tablespoons
- White Rum - 1 tablespoon
- Egg Whites - 5 to 6, depending on size of eggs
- Sugar - 1/4 cup
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Instructions
Heavily butter four 3 to 4-inch soufflé ramekins. Put sugar in one of the ramekins and roll it around to coat all inner surfaces. Pour the sugar into the next ramekin and repeat; continue to coat all four with sugar; discard the remaining sugar. Set the ramekins aside.
To prepare the sorbet: Combine the rhubarb, sugar, and water in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until thickened and mushy, about 15 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and jelly. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve, pressing on the solids to extract all the juice. Put the mixture in an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Scoop into small quenelles of sorbet with a teaspoon. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.
To make the soufflés: Bring the mango puree to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium. Dissolve the cornstarch in the rum, then stir into the puree. Cook 2 minutes, stirring gently, as the mixture thickens. Place a bowl in a larger bowl of ice water and strain the puree through a fine-meshed sieve into the inner bowl. Stir occasionally to chill quickly and evenly. Lift out the bowl and dry the sides; set aside.
Combine the egg whites, sugar, and lemon juice in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Heat to 125 F. Pour into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whisk and whisk the egg whites to firm peaks. Fold a large spoonful of beaten egg white into the mango mixture to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining beaten egg white in 3 additions, preserving as much volume as possible. Fill each ramekin half way, then press a rhubarb sorbet ball into the mixture. Fill the ramekins to the rim with the remaining soufflé mixture and smooth the tops with the back of a knife. Freeze at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place a rack in a large baking pan and fill the pan half way with hot water. Place the frozen soufflés on the rack (do not let them touch the water). Bake 16 to 17 minutes, until puffed and just set.
To serve: Remove the soufflés in their ramekins from the oven and dust with confectioner’s sugar. Place each ramekin on a doily on a dessert plate.
