Once in a rare rare while, all the forces come together and make everything gel together so effortlessly that you are tempted to believe that you could possibly be a genius…
At the risk of sounding shameless, that was exactly how I felt last night when I made this as a last minute push to generate my second post of the week before I fly off to Bangkok for the rest of the week. Amidst all the commitment at work, I only had time to bake and photograph this while Ugly Betty was airing over TV last night….
This being a new recipe for me and for the infamously temperamental Souffle at that, I was very very apprehensive. Unsure if it would rise or if it would retain its form after baking, I had to take a few precautions. I chose to work with minimum fuss, using the most sturdy cookbook I could find on my shelf as the only setting prop and had my camera mounted on standby. While waiting for the butter to soften, I even did a few dry run shots with the empty ramekins just to figure out how I could position the souffles… if they behave. When working with a souffle, always bear in mind, the souffle waits for no one, you have to be ready for it.
Unlike the last souffle I made, this one took longer to rise in the oven and had me worried for quite awhile.
I had to extend the baking time to brown it properly and when I took it out of the oven, I wasn’t sure if it was done.
Working quickly to transfer these to my ‘photo set’,I proceeded to click quickly, fearing all the while that the airy foam would collapse on me. Luckily, for about 10-15mins these babies held their form for me. You can actually see them receding in the photos.. the first shot above was how they looked when they were just out of the oven. By the time I reached the last shot, they looked like this :
By the time I finished my last shot, Ugly Betty had just saved Daniel from the cult group and all was well. Only then,did I savour my first spoonful of the rushed effort. I suppose with bananas, chocolates and macadamia nuts it could never taste bad even if the souffle flops on you- it was awesome!
So, who is afraid of La Souffle??
Recipe
Meringue
Egg White 100g
Castor Sugar 40g
Base
Ripe Banana 300g
Chocolate Chips 20g
Macadamia 20g (chopped)
Method:
1. Peheat oven to 170C. Butter and sugar coat ramekins thoroughly.
2. Grate banana and set aside. (my banana actually ended looking more mashed than grated.)
3. Whisk egg white and castor sugar until stiff peaks are formed.
4. Fold bananas, chocolate chips and nuts into (3), working gently to avoid deflating the meringue.
5. Spoon or pipe (4) into ramekins. Using your thumb, go around the rim of the ramekin to clean up the edge of the ramekin.
6. Bake for 8-10mins until browned. (I baked for 15 mins)
{ 51 comments… read them below or add one }
Great photos! One of my daughters loves UB..She's so cute to me:)
LOve the song too~
Shirley, the next time I see you I have tons for questions to ask you about souffle. Me so suaku never eaten before. From the pics they look sooooooooooo good. Is it difficult to make? Your earlier souffles also me salivate ….
this is divine shirley!!!
What a lovely post on your souffles!
I just had a thought, inspired by the colours of your photos… it might taste (and look) nice if some honey was drizzled over the souffles?
noticed that you have so many nice ramekins, I need to get some first otherwise I'm not able to try this lovely and cute souffle.
You are throwing gorgeous recipes after recipe! LOve all the past ones that you posted and this one's a delight to both and 'm sure mouth too.
Keep up the good work!
The last I ate a souffle was in a restaurant at Chip Bee Gdn. Nothing impressive to me at that moment.
But your choice of banana macadamia nut and chocolate is superb. Let's see when I sumed up enough courage to attempt this on my own.
@Nel, you definitely can drizzle some honey over it. This souffle recipe is not too sweet.
@Edith, you had probably eaten this at Petit Au Salut bistro. This is not so difficult…you don't need to be a hero to make this
I think I would freak out taking pics of souffles.
So far, I haven't made any, and I don't think I should wait too long to attempt making one.
I also heard that ovens with fans are not good buddies with souffles, but my fan can't be switched off. Wait, wait, til I get my built in… few months later, I'll attempt making souffles, for sure.
Hey Shirley! I'm still afraid if Le Souffle! I am actually more frightened to make it and have to try and take a picture of it… it takes me forever to get my camera ready. I'll just drool over yours – such a stunning combination… very Aussie I must say.
super sexy
i need to make souffles. Never have the guts to make and to fotograph.
great colours Shirley and fabulous looking souffles. I love the ramekins!
I do dry run shoots often too…otherwise fotographing can be so time consuming. my fave part is dreaming up the setting n props the day before. heh
btw I love that book..it looks as good as the souffle.:)
I've never made a souffle before, but I didn't realise that they would be so hard to photograph!! =O now it's starting to sound scaryy….=S haha =) But souffles are on my list to try, because I think they look really pretty and because I've never had a baked soulffe before! These look really nice!! And if you hadn't pointed it out, I wouldn't have realised that they had deflated a bit!
I am totally afraid of souffles. I would probably be less so if I didn't want to take pictures of them, because they'll taste good even if they don't rise. But with my luck, they would totally deflate before I could capture them.
These look amazing. Love the banana/mac nut combo.
Wendy, actually you can still make souffles with fan ovens. I made my last soufflé with fan oven- only problem was it slanted a little. Other than that, still quite ok.
Hi Shirley,
This is very unique! Souffles made with banana really something special for me. And it's nicely baked! I really like to try this out. Thanks for sharing!
I haven't made souffle before because I think it's quite a tough job. Really like your photos, the souffle looks very tempting!
Does that mean, you've got a new oven???
NO,Wendy. I just choose non-fan mode. I usually prefer to bake with fan assisted mode. Buy new oven for Souffle?? Crazy!
Wah! What a good-looking souffle and what great shots! Thumbs-up!
A new flavour of souffle! Looks so light & fine!
Looks lovely Shirley! So light and fluffy, just like it's supposed to be!
Look really easy and fluffy…
Moi~ kids have been bugging for years…
Have fun in Bangkok. And bring back photos
And your souffle looks PERFECT. I love the flavors you chose.
These look fabulous! Also love the Beatles playing the background.
Bravo Shirley! Don't you just love moments like this. Have fun in Bangkok!
it takes immense skill to bake a perfect souffle. these certainly look delicious!
You're very talented with la souffle!
Beautiful pics as always! Btw, I think I'm afraid of souffle (or to make one)
This looks great
How many does this recipe serve?
Wow..lovely souffle!
So yummy looking.
@Katharina : this recipe will make 4 cups. You can work with a smaller ramekin and I believe you can get 6 out of it.
@Jen: don't be afraid. This recipe is quite foolproof.
Gorgeous! I tried once and failed =( Looks like I have to try again!
seem like I need to go buy ramekins to bake these lovely souffles!
what a huge success!! am sure there will be many more successful times you'll have with souffles.
Adorable – great photos, and I love the flavor combination.
ButterYum
you ARE a genius! hehe the souffles are so perfectly risen and beautifully captured
Beautiful photographs. I love these rare instances, and life seems so much more worthwhile! Those are gorgeous soufflés, and I love your ramekins too!
What beauties! Glad they held their pretty forms for you a while longer than the last souffles. I've never heard of such a souffle flavor but it sounds irresistible.
Hi Shirley,
May I know what's the diameter of your ramekins?
I was the one who emailed you quite some time ago abt Nordicware pans. I 'discovered' them at Totts last night. It's a new place by the same people of Sia Huat I think. I felt like I had gone to nordicware heaven. Lol.
Hi Christine, yes, I remember you well. The ramekins I am using has a diameter of about 7cm. These are taller, hence bigger in capacity. The blue ones I used for my earlier souffle post is shorter. I prefer smaller ramekins to bigger ones. Hey, thanks for telling me about Totts, I am definitely going to check out the place
Hi Shirley,
I bought the original bundt pan and maple leaf pan. Try to go today. They have 10% discount for their opening weekend. ;p
Thanks for the info. I'll try out the soufflé recipe soon I hope.
The pics look great, at least u were fast enough to capture these babies at their peak! I am definitely bookmarking this. thanks for sharing!
I am afraid of souffle!
It is like Russian Roulette for me when I bake souffle. Nice rise on the souffle!!
Wonderful photos! These look and sound divine! (They also include a lot of my favorite ingredients!!)
Great site; so happy I found you!
Mary xo
Delightful Bitefuls
lovely photography…i'd love to return here. susan
Yum yum yum, so trying this out today, maybe just with different nuts, but looks too give to pass up!!!
Thank you so much …. banana souffle … something for me to try out.
Looks stunning and I like the ramekins you are using – have to go out and look for something similar – because the traditional are so boring.
Will come back with the verdict. *smile
Sorry, again … Macadamia – isn’t that a nut .. or ???? I’m sure I can’t find in any stores where I live .. almond will be okay to replace it with or ????
Lovely recipe, just perfect for my diet
I’m planning to make it tonight. Should bananas be weighed before peeling or after?
Thanks, Susanna – the bananas should be weighed after peeling.