Souffle

Method

Raspberry Pastry

1. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cold cubed butter and then sift over the raspberry powder, icing sugar and red food powder. With the paddle attachment, beat on a medium low speed for 2 minutes or until the butter is smooth. As the butter is cold you will need to scrape down the bowl a few times to ensure it is completely incorporated. 

2. Add in the egg yolks and beat again for around 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl again to ensure it’s all incorporated.

3. Finally, sift in the flour, scrape the bottom of the bowl just to loosen the butter stuck on the bottom, and then mix again on a low speed until it pulls together to form a dough, about 20-30 seconds.

4. Scoop the dough out and place it onto a large silicone mat and place a second silicone mat on top. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it is around 3-5mm thick, don’t worry too much about the shape.

5. Place the entire sheet of pastry into the freezer for 30 minutes.

6. While the dough is chilling, take the perforated tart ring and very lightly grease the inside with soft butter. This helps to prevent the dough from sticking to the ring.

7. Remove the chilled dough from the freezer and, working quickly, peel the top silicone mat off of the dough. Press the 4 tart rings firmly into the dough, lift them up, and transfer them to a perforated tray lined with a perforated baking mat. The dough should be cold enough that it attaches to the ring as you lift it up. Place the tray in the fridge while you cut the walls.

8. With the remaining dough, use a ruler and a sharp knife to cut 4 strips of dough each measuring 9.6 x 0.9 inches (24.4 x 2.3cm). These measurements seem quite precise, but this will ensure the dough fits perfectly into the tart rings with no excess overlapping. If they feel too warm to lift up, place them back in the freezer for 5 minutes just so they can cool back down slightly. 

9. Remove the baking tray with the tart bases from the fridge and remove one strip of dough for the walls.

10. Working quickly, take the strip of dough and place it inside the tart ring. Use your fingers to gently press together this strip of dough, against the base of the tart. The idea is to slightly push down the wall of dough so that it meets the dough on the base of the tart shell and there are no gaps. If at any point you feel the dough is too warm or is tearing, place everything back in the freezer for 10 minutes then carry on.

11. Repeat this with the remaining tarts, again, chilling the dough if needed. At this point, squeeze together the remaining scraps of dough, and repeat the process, rolling the dough and chilling it, so that you can create the final 2 tart shells. 

12. Once you have lined all the tart shells, avoid trying to move them in case the dough tears. Chill the entire tray in the freezer for 15 minutes and pre-heat your oven to 175C/350F.

13. Remove the shells from the freezer and holding a knife perpendicular to the tart shell, trim off the excess pastry hanging over the tart ring so that the pastry is flush. 

14. Place the tart shells in the oven, and bake for 15 minutes. While they bake, add the egg wash ingredients to a small ramekin and blend it to combine – I prefer to use a hand blender as it fully emulsifies the colouring into the egg mixture. 

15. Remove the tarts from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes. At this point, the pastry should have retracted slightly from the ring mould, and you should be able to lift it off easily. 

16. Lift the shells up and using a pastry brush, apply an even egg wash all over the tart. Lower the oven temperature to 140C/285F and place them back on the tray and into the oven for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool. 

Raspberry Soufflé

 – Raspberry Base

1. Into a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch.

2. Add the puree into a medium saucepan and heat it until it reaches around 40C. Once hot, sift in the cornstarch mixture and whisk together. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble. Once bubbling, cook for a further minute.

3. Immediately pass the mixture through a sieve into a bowl and cover the surface with cling film. Chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.

 – Meringue Base

1. Fill a pan with a shallow amount of water and place it over a medium heat. Meanwhile, add the egg whites and sugar into a medium bowl and place this over the water once it is simmering.

2. Whisk constantly until it reaches 60-65C (140-150F) on a digital thermometer.

3. Immediately remove it from the heat and place it on a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.

4. Whisk on a medium speed  for 6-7 minutes until you have a stiff meringue.

5. While it is whisking, remove the raspberry base from the fridge, whisk it, then weigh 75g and add this into a medium bowl.

6. When the meringue is done, fold it in thirds into the raspberry base until you have a homogenous mixture. 

Assembly

1. Add the raspberry soufflé mixture into a piping bag and snip the end off.

2. Take the cooled tart shells, and place a few torn up raspberries into the base.

3. Pipe the soufflé mixture into the tart shells, filling them right to the top, and then use a palette knife to level them so they are completely flush with the top of the tart.

4. Place the tarts back onto your baking tray, and place the perforated tart rings around the pastry again. This will just help to provide a little structure and prevent the pastry from cracking as the soufflé expands.

5. Place the tarts into the oven and bake them for 7 minutes. They should rise just slightly.

6. Once they are baked, these can be served warm or alternatively served chilled (place the tarts into the fridge for 1 hour)

7. To garnish, add some freshly sliced raspberries.