James Martin’s individual chocolate and pistachio soufflés are simple to make and rise to the occasion quickly.
Ingredients
butter, for greasing - 1
vanilla pod, seeds scraped out - 100ml/3½fl oz
double cream - 50ml/1¾fl oz
milk - 1 free-range
egg yolks - 30g/1oz
caster sugar - ½ tbsp
cornflour - 15g/½oz
milk chocolate, melted - ½ tbsp
cocoa powder - 2 free-range
egg whites - 30g/1oz
pistachios, finely chopped icing sugar, to dust
Preparation method
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Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
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Grease two glass ramekins and set aside.
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Heat the vanilla, cream and milk in a pan until boiling.
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Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy.
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Whisk the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks. Pour the custard back into the saucepan and return to a low heat. Gently whisk in the cornflour and continue to cook, whisking continuously, until the custard has thickened.
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Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the melted chocolate and cocoa.
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In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Add the sugar and whisk until glossy.
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Fold half of the chopped pistachios into the soufflé mixture. Spoon the mixture into the 2 ramekins.
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Place each ramekin onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until well risen and golden-brown.
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To serve, dust with icing sugar and sprinkle over the pistachios as quickly as possible before the soufflé deflates.
Top recipe tip
In this soufflé recipe, steps 1-6 can be done in advance. If making the custard base ahead of time, cover it with cling film to prevent a skin from forming on the surface. Keep chilled, but remove from the fridge 30 minutes before whisking the egg whites to allow the custard to return to room temperature.