Parmesan soufflé with lambrusco spiced poached pears

A souffle is a wonderful way to showcase the flavour of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and pears with cheese is a classic pairing in Italy. Here, the sauce from the poached pears is reduced to a sweet, sticky glaze.

Parmesan soufflé with lambrusco spiced poached pears. Credit: Luca's Key Ingredient

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 10 g unsalted butter, melted
• 100 g plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra to dust
• 500 ml milk
• 100 g parmesan (parmigiano Reggiano), grated
• 5 whole eggs, separated
• 4 firm William pears, peeled, stalks intact
• 750 ml good quality red wine (e.g. Lambrusco)
• 150 g caster sugar
• 1 cinnamon quill
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 whole star anise
• 1 lemon, rind peeled
  

Chilling time: 30-45 minutes.

Instructions

1. For the souffles: Preheat the oven to 220°C. Grease 4 ramekins with melted butter and lightly dust with extra flour. Whisk flour and milk in a saucepan on low heat, until smooth and almost simmering. Remove from heat. Add cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Add egg yolks, one at a time, stirring continuously, until combined. Season. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.
2. For the poached pears: Place pears in a medium saucepan and cover with wine. Add sugar, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and lemon rind. Bring to the boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, until pears are tender. Remove pears and set aside to cool. Strain syrup into a clean saucepan, discarding solids. Heat syrup on medium heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes, until reduced to about ¾ cup and thickened to a glaze. Set aside.
3. While cooking pears and syrup: Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold the egg white into a cold mixture, until just combined. Divide mixture between prepared ramekins. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until soufflés are puffed and golden.
4. Serve immediately with poached pears and a drizzle of the syrup.

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.