ALMOST BLOOD ORANGE SOUFFLÉS
My mouth started watering as soon as I came across the Blood Orange Soufflés in Laurent Tourendel’s Fresh from the Market . But alas, when I shopped for the meal, blood oranges in any shape or form proved to be elusive. Not willing to give up on the dessert plan, I just bought regular oranges. Of course the flavor wouldn’t quite be the same, but it should still taste good. One of the first cooking preparations of the day was the reduction for the soufflé. As I was getting the orange juice out of the fridge, I noticed the bottle of black cherry concentrate, which made me decide on the spur of the moment to split the 2 1/4 cups of blood orange juice into 2 cups orange juice and 1/4 cup black cherry concentrate. While it didn’t yield the exact flavor of blood orange, the result was nonetheless impressive enough that I would use this combination again without hesitation. Not only was the flavor balanced very nicely, even the color of the reduction was closer to a typical blood orange color. For more advice, read the full story of our Christmas Dinner.
Yield: 6 servings
Prep time: 135 minutes
Cook Time: 70 minutes
Total time: 205 minutes
Ingredients
Special Equipment
Six 10-ounce soufflé dishes or ramekins
Orange-Black Cherry Reduction
2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (I cheated a little bit by using Simply Juice brand medium pulp)
1/4 cup black cherry concentrate (the original recipe uses 2 1/4 cups freshly squeezed blood orange juice)
3 tablespoons Triple Sec (should have been Grand Marnier, but I ran out)
2 tablespoons orange zest (blood orange zest in original recipe)
Soufflés
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
6 large egg whites
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
How is this sustainable ?
The fresh fruit or fruit juice, the eggs, butter, sugar and flour can all be organically sourced.
If you decide to use pre-made use, pay close attention and make sure there are no added sugars in the juice. Also, anything made from concentrate is much less authentic.
Instructions
Make the Reduction
- Combine the orange juice and black cherry reduction in a small saucepan.
- Simmer over low heat until reduced to 3 tablespoons, about 1 hour.
- If a skin forms over the surface of the reduction, remove it with a spoon.
- Place the saucepan in a bowl of ice water and let cool. (The reduction can be made 1 day in advance up to this point, cover and refrigerate.)
- Stir in the Triple Sec and the zest.
Make the Soufflés
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Brush the inside of six 10-ounce soufflé dishes or ramekins with butter and sprinkle with sugar.
- Whisk the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a stand- or handheld mixer at high speed until the eggs are light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- While the eggs are whisking, bring the milk and 1/4 cup of butter to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Once the eggs have reached the proper consistency, reduce the speed to low and add the flour.
- Continue to mix at high speed for 3 minutes.
- Once the milk mixture has come to a boil, remove it from the heat.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and carefully pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, beating until well blended.
- Transfer the mixture to a clean medium saucepan and whisk constantly over low heat until the mixture thickens, about 4 minutes.
- Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the orange-black cherry reduction.
- Whisk the egg whites and the 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar at high speed until medium peaks begin to form, about 3 minutes.
- Using a large rubber spatula, fold half of the egg whites into the soufflé batter until well combined and lightened.
- Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until fully incorporated.
- Divide the soufflé batter among the prepared soufflé dishes and smooth the top with an offset spatula or knife to ensure that it is even.
- Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake until the meringue sets in the center, turning them halfway through, about 8 minutes.
To Serve
- Remove the soufflés from the oven and dust with the confectioner’s sugar.
- Serve immediately with crème anglaise or sorbet.
