– Hi Zen, How are you today? she said.
– I’m good M’dam. How are you?
– Great, what a lovely day!
– Yes, it’s beautiful outside. I said.
– You remember i invited Mr & Mrs Badnews for dinner, right? she said probably noticing the lack of activity in the kitchen.

 

(like my Friendly French Chef T-shirt? My buddy Furious chef made it.)

Being a self-control freak, i faked a smile and said: “Of course, mad’am”.

She’d mentioned the guests earlier in the week but i had totally forgotten.

-“Oh, and Mrs Badnews loves your desserts!” she said before leaving the kitchen.

I did a quick assessment of the situation. I would make a frisee salad with poached egg and crispy bacon for appetizer, i had enough sea bass with morels, ramps, fava beans and asparagus for an entree with a warm herb vinaigrette to go with the fish. A few canapes were ready to roll. Overall, i was in pretty good shape except for one small little detail: I had nothing for dessert. Nothing. Nada. Rien du tout except for a half-eaten pint of passion fruit sorbet.

 

This arrogant pint of sorbet must have felt the heat, when i opened it again it had melted into passion fruit puree. Sucker! Even the rats were leaving the ship. [A portion of this post containing lots of swearing and self-kicking was removed.]

Out of despair great things are born sometimes. In an extremely rare moment of brilliance, the Zenstein remembered this life saving equation addition learned in cooking school…

Fruit puree + Yolks + Meringue = Souffle!!

haha!! Who’s laughing now! You round piece of cardboard..er.. scum!!

These souffles took me 25 minutes to prepare from start to finish (and that includes the cooking time). They came out puffing warm passion-fruit goodness worth of a 4-stars restaurant. Serve with some fresh passion fruit if available and you’ll be in heaven. Enjoy!

• 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup passion-fruit puree (or yes, melted sorbet!)
• 3/4 cup egg whites (about 4 large eggs)
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
• 2 fresh passion fruits (optional)

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 375’F.
2. Generously butter the inside and rims of four 6 ounce ramequins. Dust the inside and rims with sugar. Tap out the excess sugar and put the dishes on a baking sheet.
3. Whisk together the egg yolks and passion-fruit puree in a large bowl until well blended; set aside.
4. Put the egg whites in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-low speed until foamy. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the sugar, beating until the whites form glossy medium-stiff peaks. Using a large rubber spatula and a light touch, fold the meringue into the passion fruit mixture until well incorporated but not overmixed.

5. Spoon the souffle mixture into the dishes up to their rims. Run your thumb along the outside edge to remove any excess butter and sugar. Bake the souffles 15 to 20 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. If you touch the tops o the souffles, they should be firm with centers that are still a bit jiggly.

6. Dust the souffles with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately. Serve a half passion fruit on the side if available and instruct guests to scoop some of the pulp in the souffle. Enjoy.