Raspberry souffle

Add all the ingredients to a medium saucepot over mediumlow heat, cover with a lid, and steam the berries for 5 to 8 minutes to allow them to break down. Remove the lid and continue to cook the berries to evaporate the excess water that was released during steaming. Let the mixture reduce for about 5 minutes or until the liquid turns into a syrupy consistency. Do not let the liquid brown.

Transfer the cooked berry mixture to a blender and blend on low speed, gradually turning up to high speed for 1minute. The result should be an evenly-blended, almost jam-like consistency.

Take a medium-size sieve and place over a bowl. Pour the raspberry purée into the sieve and pass through with a rubber spatula. Reserve 100 grams of the purée and chill for the soufflé base. Keep the remaining purée warm or at room temperature for the soufflé garnish.

Gently heat the milk over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes until it just begins to simmer or scalds. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla in a medium-size bowl until very well incorporated. Slowly whisk small amounts of the scalded milk into the egg yolk mixture to temper. Tempering means to slowly mix a hot ingredient into a cold or room-temp ingredient (like the egg yolks) to slowly raise the temperature of the cold or room-temp ingredient while preventing it from overcooking (scrambling in the case of the egg yolks).

Once ½ the milk is incorporated into the bowl, pour the mixture back into the saucepot and whisk over medium heat until it becomes thick and creamy. Do not allow the pastry cream to color while cooking. Pour the pastry cream into a plastic wrap–lined baking pan or wide bowl, lay another sheet of plastic over, directly touching the pastry cream, and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Covering the pastry cream will keep it from developing a thick skin on top. Allow the pastry cream to cool completely before use.

Brush a thin layer of butter onto the inside bottom of the ramekins and vertically along the sides. Chill the ramekins for a minimum of 30 seconds to let the butter set. Brush on another thin layer of butter, add shaved chocolate into the ramekins, and roll them in your hands so the chocolate shavings can tumble around the inside of the ramekins to coat the sides evenly. Pour any excess shaved chocolate into the next ramekin and repeat until all are coated. Place the ramekins in the refrigerator to cool while making the soufflé batter.

Preheat the oven to 355°F. Whisk the pastry cream and raspberry purée in a medium-size bowl until very well incorporated.

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, begin whisking the egg whites at medium speed. Once they begin to foam, squeeze in a small amount of lemon juice as the whites are still whisking. When the volume of the egg whites has increased by ⅔, gradually begin to stream in the sugar. Tap the bowl of sugar with your finger to control the amount that is poured in. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue whisking the meringue until it forms stiff peaks and is bright white and glossy. To make sure the top center of the meringue is whipped to the right consistency, turn the speed of the machine back to medium, unlock the safety lock, carefully lift the arm of the mixer up 1 to 2 inches, and hold it in place for 30 seconds. Lower the arm back down and whip for another 10 seconds.

Fold ⅓ of the meringue into the medium bowl with the pastry cream and raspberry purée mixture and combine until fully smooth and incorporated. Gently fold the remaining meringue into the mixture in 2 parts. The volume will decrease slightly but be careful not to let too much air out of the meringue.

Fill the ramekins to the top and tap lightly on a flat countertop to even out the batter. Using an offset spatula, scrape the tops of the soufflés flat. Clean any excess batter off the outside of the ramekins. Finally, place your thumb on the inside edge of the ramekin, push about ⅙ inch down into the edge of the soufflé batter, and rotate the ramekin in your other hand as you drag your thumb to wipe a small amount of batter from the edge. This is another trick to ensure your soufflé will rise straight up.

Place no more than 2 ramekins on a sheet tray at a time and bake in the center rack. If using 10-ounce ramekins, bake for 14 to 17 minutes, or until the tops of the soufflés are golden brown. If using 6-ounce ramekins, bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Dust each soufflé with powdered sugar, place a fresh raspberry in the center, and serve. For a more formal presentation, dust with powdered sugar, poke 2 holes in the center of each soufflé with a small spoon, and pour in fresh raspberry coulis just before serving.