Lemon Souffle

Two weeks ago in class, we made lemon souffle.  And I fell in love.   So I decided I need to make it at home just to be sure it wasn't just lust.  It's official.....I'm in lemon love.

Now to make souffle,  you need two things.  Organization and a mixer.  An electric mixer will work just fine.  But the big thing is the organization.  Souffles don't wait on anyone. 

What you will need:

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon zest

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar; divided

a little over 2 tablespoons of cornstarch

6 egg whites

melted butter as needed

granulated sugar as needed

powdered sugar as needed


This makes about 4 medium sized souffles.

The first step will be to prepare the ramekins.  Rub the bottom and sides in melted butter.  Then coat with granulated sugar.  Set aside.  

Combine the fresh lemon juice and heavy cream in a stainless steel saucepan.  Add in the lemon zest, give it a little stir, and bring to a boil.  While the cream is heating up, whisk the egg yolks and half of the sugar in a bowl.  Once it is light and fluffy, add the cornstarch.  Now that the cream is boiling, you will need to temper the yolks with the hot cream.  To do this, add a little bit of the hot cream into the bowl with the egg yolks constantly whisking the mixture.  Add a little more hot cream.  And then a little more. Stir constantly as you do this.  You need to bring the egg yolks up to the temperature of the hot cream slowly or you will curdle the eggs.  Once the yolks are tempered, add the mix back into the stainless steel pan.  Whisk constantly over the heat until it starts to thicken.  Pull off the heat.  

Now whisk the egg whites. This is where the mixer comes in handy. Gradually add the remaining sugar while the whites start to thicken. You want to get the whites to a medium soft peak.  

The next step will be to fold the egg whites into the hot mixture.  If you need, transfer the hot mixture to a bigger bowl.  Add the egg whites to the mix in three additions. Slowly fold the whites in.  Fill the prepared ramekins almost to the top.  Bake immediately at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.  When done, shake a little powdered sugar on top for decoration.  Eat almost immediately because the souffle will fall rather quickly.  I didn't really have a problem completing that last step.