Banana Souffles Food

BANANA SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Let egg whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Coat a 1-1/2-qt. souffle dish with cooking spray; set aside., In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in the bananas, sugar and cornstarch until blended. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes longer or until thickened. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in lemon juice, rum and lemon zest., Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to the bowl, stirring constantly. Allow to cool slightly., In a large bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. With a spatula, stir a fourth of the egg whites into banana mixture until no white streaks remain. Fold in remaining egg whites until combined. Transfer to prepared dish., Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until the top is puffed and center appears set. Serve immediately.

BANANA SOUFFLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Spray four 1-cup ramekins with cooking spray (or brush with melted butter). Add 2 tablespoons of the sugar to 1 of the ramekins and rotate it to coat with sugar. Tap the excess sugar into another ramekin and repeat until all the ramekins are coated with sugar.
• In a food processor, puree bananas with lime juice, egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of sugar until smooth. Pour into a large bowl.
• In a stainless steel or glass bowl, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until firm and glossy.
• Using a rubber spatula, beat one-fourth of the beaten whites into the banana mixture, then gently fold in the remaining whites. Pour soufflé mixture into prepared ramekins and tap them lightly on a countertop.
• Set ramekins on a baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown and risen.
• Serve at once.

BANANA SOUFFLéS

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Butter four 4-ounce (125-ml) ramekins or soufflé molds. Pour some sugar into each and tilt the ramekin to coat the sides; gently tap out any excess. Set the ramekins on a baking sheet.
• To make the soufflé base, in a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the mashed bananas, rum, lemon juice, and pastry cream.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or in a bowl by hand), whisk together the egg whites and salt on low speed until frothy. Increase the speed to high, gradually add the 2 tablespoons (30 g) sugar, and continue whisking until the whites form shiny, stiff peaks.
• Fold one-quarter of the whipped egg whites into the soufflé base, then gently fold in the remaining whites, taking care not to deflate them. A few streaks of egg whites are preferable to an overfolded and deflated soufflé mixture.
• Divide the soufflé mixture evenly among the prepared ramekins, filling each to just below the rim, then sprinkle with a light, even dusting of sugar. Bake until the tops are nicely browned and the soufflés quiver softly when gently nudged, about 10 minutes.
• Serve the soufflés right away.
• Pass a pitcher of Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce (page 243) or Raspberry Sauce (page 246) at the table for pouring into the soufflés.
• The soufflé mixture, once divided among the ramekins, can stand at room temperature for up to 1 hour before baking.
• You can make a less rich version of these soufflés (that also happens to be gluten-free) by simply substituting 4 teaspoons of sugar for the pastry cream when making the soufflé base.
• For CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA SOUFFLÉS, add about 2 ounces (60 g) chopped dark or milk chocolate to the soufflé base when folding in the egg whites.

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP SOUFFLE

Steps:

• To make the Banana Base: in a medium saucepan, over a high heat, brown the butter. Add the sugars and continue to cook stirring constantly until caramel color, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped bananas and stir until well coated. Continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the dark rum and lemon juice. Transfer mixture to a food processor and pulse until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Brush the inside of 6 (6-ounce) ramekins with softened butter and dust with sugar.
• To make the souffle: beat the egg whites on medium speed, in a mixer with the whip attachment, to soft peaks. With the motor running, add the sugar in a slow but steady stream. Continue to whip to medium stiff peaks. With a large rubber spatula, fold 1/2 of the meringue into the Banana Base. Add the finely chopped chocolate chips and fold in the remaining 1/2 of the meringue. Fill each prepared ramekin over the top with the souffle mixture. Bake the souffles for 12 minutes. Serve immediately.

BANANA SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Brush 4 1-cup souffle dishes with melted butter; sprinkle the insides of the cups with sugar.
• Set the egg yolks aside, and place the 4 egg whites into the work bowl of an electric mixer. Beat the egg whites and salt until the whites form soft peaks.
• Place the 2 egg yolks, bananas, honey, vanilla extract, and ginger into a blender; pulse until smooth.
• Scoop the banana mixture into a bowl; use a rubber spatula or wire whisk to gently fold 1/4 of the beaten egg whites into the banana mixture. Gently run the spatula through the center of the bowl, then around the sides of the bowl, repeating until fully incorporated. Fold in the remaining egg whites, being careful to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.
• Spoon the souffle mixture into the prepared dishes; bake in the preheated oven until the souffles have puffed up above the baking dishes and the tops are browned, about 15 minutes. Sift a little sweetened cocoa powder over each souffle for garnish to serve.

BANANA-RUM SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Lightly butter the insides of 4 (1-cup) ramekins, then dust with sugar. Space them evenly on a baking sheet and put in the freezer.
• Put the bananas, brown sugar, lemon juice, and rum in a medium saucepan. Cook uncovered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the bananas begin to soften, about 7 minutes. Mash the bananas with a potato masher or large fork until mostly smooth; continue cooking to make a thick puree, about 8 more minutes. Cool to room temperature.
• Position the oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.
• Whip the egg whites and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until foamy. Increase the speed to high, gradually pour in the 2 tablespoons sugar, and whip until the whites hold soft peaks. Fold a quarter of the whites into the banana mixture and then fold in the remaining whites. (Don't dally here; timing is everything with souffles. Whip, fold, and get the souffle in the oven without missing a beat.)
• Evenly divide the batter among the prepared ramekins. Bake the souffles until well puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. Dust with a light sprinkling of cocoa powder, if desired. Serve immediately.

WARM BANANA SOUFFLE

Steps:

• In a medium-sized bowl, mash 1 large, ripe banana with a fork. Add 1 & 1/2 teaspoons fresh-squeezed lime (or lemon) juice and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Blend thoroughly and set aside.
• In a chilled bowl, whip 2 chilled egg whites to a soft peak stage.
• Gradually add 1 & 1/2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar to soft peaked egg whites. Continue whipping egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form.
• Working in thirds, gradually (and gently) fold the stiffly beaten egg whites into the mashed banana until combined.
• Spoon souffle mixture into 2 or 3 individual ramekins prepared with non-stick cooking spray; divide evenly.
• Set filled ramekins on a cookie sheet (or jelly roll pan) and place in lower third of a preheated 450 degree F oven with upper rack removed.
• Turn on the oven's interior light and keep a close eye on your souffles. Resist the temptation to open the door during baking (to do so would risk the souffles falling prematurely). Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes.
• When souffles are done, remove from oven and dust with confectioner's sugar. Using a non-slip hot pad or thick, textured kitchen towel, remove ramekins to individual plates and serve immediately.