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Pineapple Souffle

This is a very easy way to do a souffle and these individual ones are always a great success. Makes six ramekins (12cm diameter)
Sir Elton John and David Furnish, from A Fair Feast: 70 Celebrity Recipes for a Fairer World, compiled by Vicky Bhogal, published by Simon & Schuster.

1 big Fairtrade pineapple
400g caster sugar
20g unsalted butter
40g icing sugar
8 egg whites

1 First choose a ripe pineapple, peel it and cut it in four pieces lengthways, and discard the hard wooden core. Only use the juicy flesh and cut it into big chunks.

2 Cook 300g of the caster sugar, with 20g of water, in a saute pan until golden and you have a caramel.

3 Take the pan off the heat and add your pineapple chunks (400g is enough), and leave it to rest for five minutes (some of the caramel will solidify).

4 Put it back on the heat until all the caramel melts again with the juices that your pineapple creates while cooking. Pour it into a bowl and allow to cool.

5 When cooled, reduce the pineapple mixture to a puree with a hand blender.

6 Melt your butter and then using a pastry brush, butter the inside of your ramekin and add some icing sugar so it sticks to the butter. Retrieve the excess by tapping the ramekin upside down on the table. (This process is called chemiser and it's very important to do it, as it will help your souffle to rise very high.)

7 Preheat your oven to gas mark 6/180C and then follow the same procedure with all six ramekins.

8 Whisk your egg whites until very firm (before you whisk your egg whites, you need to have your ramekins ready). Add the rest of the caster sugar (100g) and add a spoonful of this to your pineapple puree. Mix it well and then add your pineapple puree to the egg whites, folding gently with a wooden spoon.

9 Fill all six ramekins with the souffle mix to 3cm above the rim. If you want you can give it a rounder shape for a tidier look with a palette knife. Place them in the oven for 14 minutes (do not open the door while cooking) and serve at once. The souffle will fall as it is taken out of the oven.

Note: If, when you have filled your ramekins, you are left with some mix, it is because your egg whites were well whisked!

elton

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