|
For thick pastry cream |
|
|
2/3 cup/150 ml/5 fl oz milk |
|
|
1
vanilla bean, split lengthwise |
|
|
2
egg yolks |
|
|
1
1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar |
|
|
2
tablespoons flour |
|
|
1
1/4-quart/1.25-liter/2-pint soufflé dish |
1.
Heat oven to 350°F/175°C/Gas4. Brush soufflé dish generously
with butter. Toast hazelnuts: Spread nuts on a baking sheet and
toast in heated oven until lightly brown, stirring once, 12-15
minutes. Let cool slightly, then grind nuts in a food processor.
Note: Do not overwork or they will be oily. Increase oven
temperature to 425°F/220°C/Gas7.
2.
Peel, quarter and core the pear. Rub the quarters with cut
surface of lemon, transfer to the food processor and purée until
smooth. Stir purée into hazelnut mixture.
3.
Stiffly whip egg whites, preferably using a copper bowl. Add
sugar and continue whipping until the whites are glossy and hold
a long peak, 30-60 seconds.
4. If
necessary, heat hazelnut mixture until hot to the touch. Stir in
about a quarter of the egg whites. Add this mixture to remaining
egg whites and fold them together as lightly as possible. Spoon
mixture into prepared soufflé dish and smooth the top. Run your
thumb around the edge of the dish so the soufflé rises in a hat
shape.
5.
Bake in heated oven until soufflé is puffed and brown, 15-18
minutes. It should be slightly soft in the center. Sprinkle
soufflé with confectioners' sugar, set dish on a plate lined
with a napkin, and serve at once.
This Recipe of the Month
selection comes from Anne Willan's
Cook It Right (Reader's Digest,
1998). To order your copy please call 1-800-788-6262.
