“On a long weekend in Beechworth, the last thing we expected was the best dessert we’ve ever had. Would you ask chef Michael Ryan at Provenance for his recipe for mandarin soufflé? I’d love to try making it myself.”
Kim Bear, via email
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Ingredients
Mandarin soufflé base
White chocolate sauce
Orange-blossom toffee
Method
Main
1.For mandarin soufflé base, bring mandarin, orange juice and sugar to the simmer in a small saucepan over low-medium heat and cook until mandarin is pulpy (20-25 minutes). Strain through a fine sieve (reserve liquid), pressing to extract as much juice as possible. Process solids, mandarin liqueur and 75ml reserved liquid (discard excess) in a food processor until coarsely puréed. Refrigerate until required. Soufflé base will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 days.
2.For white chocolate sauce, place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Combine cream, vanilla bean and vanilla seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat, bring to the boil, then set aside to infuse (30 minutes). Return to medium heat, bring to the simmer, pour onto white chocolate and stir until melted and smooth (1-2 minutes). Add rosewater, stir to combine and set aside to cool. Whisk chocolate mixture and crème fraîche to combine, refrigerate until required.
3.Meanwhile, for orange-blossom toffee, combine sugar and 50ml water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir to dissolve sugar, then cook until dark caramel (6-8 minutes). Remove from heat, add butter and orange-blossom water (be careful as hot toffee may spit), then return to heat and stir until dissolved. Pour onto an oiled metal tray and set aside to cool. When cool, break into coarse pieces and process in a food processor until finely ground. Store in an airtight container until required.
4.Preheat oven to 180C. Place mandarin slices on a baking tray, scatter with orange-blossom toffee, then caramelise with a blowtorch (or under a hot grill) until golden (2-3 minutes), set aside.
5.Whisk eggwhites in an electric mixer until very soft peaks form (2-3 minutes). Gradually add sugar and whisk until soft peaks form (1-2 minutes; don’t overwork). Fold one-third through soufflé base, then fold through remainder. Divide among six 200ml buttered and sugared ramekins, then level tops with a palette knife and wipe rims clean. Place on a baking tray and bake until risen and golden (5-7 minutes). Serve immediately with toffee mandarins and white chocolate sauce.
Note Mandarin liqueur is available from good bottle shops. If unavailable, substitute Cointreau or Grand Marnier.
This recipe is from the September 2010 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.
Notes
