Banana and honey soufflé

"This is the first soufflé I learnt back in 1979 and it’s still the best. The most important part of this recipe is to ensure the bananas are super ripe, if not the soufflé will shrink instead of rising. Strawberry coulis makes this dish even more luxurious; add some double cream and you’ll be in heaven. Also forget the gentle, gentle attitude that people talk about when making soufflés, this will resist the banging of the oven door and stand upright for at least 5 minutes. Just remember to make sure the bananas are very, very ripe!" Peter Kuruvita, Peter Kuruvita's Coastal Kitchen

• serves

  2

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 20 g unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• double cream, to serve

Strawberry coulis

• 500 g strawberries, hulled and halved
• 100 g icing sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 100 ml Triple Sec

Soufflé

• 1 very ripe banana
• 1 tbsp honey
• 3 eggwhites, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp white sugar

Instructions

To make the coulis, place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until the strawberries have begun to collapse, then remove from the heat. Transfer to a blender and process until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve, pushing down firmly on the seeds to extract as much liquid as possible, then discard the seeds and refrigerate the coulis until ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Grease two 240 ml capacity soufflé moulds or ramekins with the melted butter. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar into each ramekin and tilt to coat the base and sides evenly, then tap out the excess sugar.

To make the soufflé mixture, place the banana and honey in a blender and process until smooth. Whisk the egg whites and sugar until firm peaks form. Fold the banana mixture into the beaten egg whites until just combined. Divide the mixture among the prepared ramekins, then run your finger around the inside edge of each mould to ensure the soufflés rise evenly. Bake for 9-14 minutes or until golden and risen. The soufflé should rise straight and will go nice and golden as it cooks. Serve immediately with the coulis and double cream.

Photography by Dan Freene. Food preparation by Peter Kuruvita/ Cody Fahey.

Watch Peter Kuruvita's Coastal Kitchen on SBS Food or SBS On Demand. Visit the program page for more details, recipes and guides.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.