St Clements Soufflés

Preparation

Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pods and discard the pod. Finely zest and juice the oranges. Soften the butter.

Method

1. 1 To make the crème pâtissière base, put the milk, cream and vanilla seeds in a medium, preferably non-stick saucepan and bring to the boil. Move on to the next steps while you wait.
2. 2 Meanwhile, mix together the egg yolks and caster sugar until well combined.
3. 3 Beat the flour and cornflour into the egg yolks.
4. 4 Pour the hot milk and cream into the egg mixture, whisking as you pour.
5. 5 Transfer back to the saucepan and stir continuously over a low-to-medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until smooth and very thick.
6. 6 Transfer to a bowl and cover with cling-film. Leave to cool to room temperature.
7. 7 Place the orange zest and juice in a saucepan and boil until the liquid is reduced by half. Leave to cool to room temperature.
8. 8 Once the orange zest mixture has cooled, mix it in with the crème pâtissière mixture and leave again to cool to room temperature if needed.
9. 9 When ready to cook the soufflés, heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 (180°C for fan ovens) and heat a flat, heavy-based baking tray.
10. 10 Coat 150ml ramekins with two layers of butter and a layer of caster sugar (see Top Tips).
11. 11 Whisk the egg whites until they form firm peaks.
12. 12 Gradually add the caster sugar until the mixture is firm and glossy.
13. 13 Mix one-third of the egg white mixture into the crème pâtissière base to loosen the mixture then, using a metal spoon, gently fold in the remainder until combined.
14. 14 Spoon into the prepared ramekin dishes and level the surface with a palette knife or back of a spoon.
15. 15 To avoid the mixture sticking to the top of the mould, run your thumb or a sharp knife around the top edge of each ramekin.
16. 16 Place the ramekins on the pre-heated baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden. Move on to the next step while you wait.
17. 17 Gently heat together the lemon curd and cream until smooth and hot, then transfer to a serving jug.
18. 18 Place the cooked soufflés on serving plates and dust each one with icing sugar and orange zest.
19. 19 Make a hole in the top of each soufflé, pour in the lemon cream and serve at once.