Narangi
nu Souffle | Tangerine Mandarin Souffle
My
childhood in a bowl! The smooth, fluffy, cloud-like texture; the subtle
sweetness of orange with a burst of lemon; and the chilled dessert (always
prepared in the very same souffle dish my mum had), melting in my mouth after a
delicious overload of Dhansak and jhinga na kavab with all the trimmings, is my food
memory of lazy Sunday afternoon meals with family and friends. The leftovers of
this dessert were fought over, and it was a fight worth winning. Back in the
day, homemade souffles and mousses were always treated with great envy. They
were a treat on any day.
While the freshly squeezed juice of any variety of oranges will
work, mandarins or tangerines, narangis or kinoo, give
it the freshest flavour.
I am sharing this amazing family recipe of over 75 years with the
hope that its simplicity helps the recipe continue its journey for many decades
more.
Serves 6
Chill a
6-cup glass bowl or 6 ramekins
7 g/ 0.25 oz packet of gelatine
4 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
1 lemon-juiced
1 lime-juiced
¼ tsp salt
1 cup whipping cream – see tips
Bloom the gelatine by dissolving the packet in 1/4 cup of water
and waiting 3-5 minutes for it to swell.
In a pan, combine all the ingredients: egg yolks, beaten well; sugar;
juices of the orange, lemon, and lime; and salt.
Cook the mixture over a low flame, stirring constantly until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the fire and, while still hot, add the bloomed gelatine, stirring until all of it is dissolved.
Beat with an electric beater till smooth and sieve it through to
ensure there are no egg or orange pieces left in the mixture. It must be
chilled over an ice bath or in a chiller until it is ''just set''. It must
still be very wobbly but not runny.
In
another bowl, whip 1 cup of cream until it forms soft peaks but not stiff
peaks. Fold the cream into the orange mixture.
In a clean bowl, whip together 2 egg whites until stiff but not dry.
Gently fold 1/3rd of the egg whites into the orange
mixture. Then add the rest of the egg whites very lightly, folding them in
gently until just mixed. Pour into the chilled bowl or individual ramekins
immediately, as it will start setting. Cover it with clingfilm or a lid.
Refrigerate before serving with fresh oranges.
To bloom properly the water should be at room temperature.
Whipping
cream has 35 % fat and works well. Single cream has 18% fat, double cream has
48% fat, and clotted cream has 55% fat.
Chilling the dishes first will keep the
souffle from separating or melting, especially if your kitchen is very
hot.
Read about the Huffington Post article by Niloufer's Kitchen.
Click now The French In My Food
