Ingredients
¼ pound strawberries
¼ pound raspberries
3 fresh apricots
1 large fresh peach
½ cup superfine sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
3 T Cognac
6 T. butter, softened
1 cup superfine sugar
10 egg yolks, at room temperature
8 egg whites, at room temperature
¼ cup flour
¾ cup cold milk
You will also need:
Large skillet
Small saucepan
2 large mixing bowls
Shallow baking dish
6 individual soufflé molds or ramekins, 2 ½ or 3 inches in diameter
Colander
Paring knife
Wooden spoon
Whisk
Rubber spatula
Brush
Sugar sifter
Instructions
Wash the fruit and remove the stems. Cut the apricots into 1-inch cubes. Peel the peach. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
In a large skillet, combine the strawberries and raspberries with the sugar and lemon juice and cook briefly over high heat. The berries will render enough juice to dilute the sugar to a think syrup. Add the apricots and peaches and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. When cooled, stir in the Cognac.
Using 2 T of the softened butter, brush the inside of each soufflé mold. Pour ½ cup of the sugar into the first buttered mold, turning it to coat the bottom and sides entirely with sugar. Turn the excess sugar out into the next soufflé dish and turn to coat, continuing until all six molds are coated with sugar. Chill.
Forty minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. In a non-aluminum saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook over low heat for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add cold milk. Return to heat and bring to aboil for 2 or 3 minutes, whisking constantly. Then turn into a large bowl and mix in the superfine and vanilla sugars.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until well mixed. Add several tablespoons of the sweetened cream sauce to warm the yolks, then add yolks to the sauce, whisking well.
In a third bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Stir about one-third of the beaten whites into the yolk-cream mixture with a whisk. Then gently fold in the remaining whites, being careful not to deflate them.
Fill each of the chilled molds with the mixture and place them in a large baking dish filled with enough cold water to reach halfway up the sides of the molds. Place over medium-high heat untilt he water begins to boil. Then place in the hot oven and bake for 20 minutes.
About 5 minutes before serving, warm the fruit sauce over medium heat. Divide the sauce among 6 plates.
Remove the soufflés from the oven, unmold one onto each pool of the fruit sauce; or place on the plates in the souffle molds, make an indentation in the top of each soufflé, and spoon the fruit sauce on top. Serve immediately.