Roasted Apple and Vanilla Bean Souffle

When I was a child, one of my most clear memories of autumn and winter was my mom making apple compote. She used to prepare it with whole apples, dried apricots, cinnamon and a tiny bit of sugar. Sometimes she would do it on the stovetop, sometimes in the oven. The entire house would smell of sugar and cinnamon. This is a homage to those flavors.

I baked the apples with tons of vanilla bean specs, brown sugar and butter and then made a puree of them, almost like apple sauce, but richer. The souffle is roux based, which I flavored with the roasted apple puree and calvados. I really like roux based souffles because they result in a pudding-like interior once they are baked. The trick is not to over-bake them.

Roasted Apples

2 fuji apples
1 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded

Mix butter, brown sugar and vanilla seeds and set aside. Peel and core apples. Fill the center cavity of the apple with the butter and brown sugar mixture. Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes or until apples are soft. Puree the apples and reserve for the souffle.

Roasted Apple Souffle

110 grams bread flour
90 grams unsalted butter
400 ml whole milk
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
90 grams sugar
130 grams roasted apple puree
15 grams calvados or dark rum

Brush the sides of your souffle mold with softened butter. Coat with sugar. Turn the mold over to discard any extra sugar. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring the whole milk to a boil. Reserve warm.

In the meantime, whip the egg whites to medium peaks and slowly sprinkle in the sugar. Whip until a medium peak meringue forms. Reserve.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter. Add the bread flour and cook for a minute forming a roux. Pour in the hot milk and whisk until the mixture resembles a bechamel. Transfer this base to a large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula for a couple of minutes until it stops steaming but it is still warm. Add the egg yolks and stir until incorporated. Add the roasted apple puree and the calvados or rum. Stir.

Fold a third of the meringue into the roux base and stir vigorously until the base lightens. Now fold the remainder of the meringue but this time, fold gently.

Fill the molds with the souffle mix almost to the top and bake in a 400F oven for about 10-12 minutes depending on the size of the mold. I like the middle of my souffle slightly undercooked so I usually pull it out about 2 minutes after I see that it has fully risen. Serve immediately accompanied by caramel sauce or any other custard or ice cream you would like.

I also wanted to apologize for being absent from your blogs or responding emails. I am still trying to organize my life a bit after the trip and before my parents come to visit. Thank you for your constant support!