Guillaume Brahimi’s passionfruit soufflés with vanilla anglaise

1.For passionfruit base, combine sugar and cornflour in a bowl. Pour in passionfruit juice and whisk in well so there are no lumps. Stir in vanilla seeds and transfer to a small saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium heat, whisking regularly to prevent sticking, then reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking continuously, until thick (2-3 minutes). Transfer to a bowl, cover directly with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature.

2.For vanilla crème Anglaise, place milk, cream and vanilla beans and seeds in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until combined, then carefully add hot milk mixture, whisking continuously. Return to the pan and stir continuously over low heat until mixture coats the back of the spoon (3-4 minutes). Strain through a sieve into a bowl placed over ice and cool, stirring occasionally, then refrigerate.

3.Preheat oven to 200C. Lightly and evenly brush six 250ml ramekins (either copper or ceramic) with butter and dust with sugar, shaking off excess. Place passionfruit base in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk eggwhites in an electric mixer on fast setting until they start foaming (30 seconds), then, with the motor running, gradually add sugar and whisk just until firm peaks form (1 minute), then turn off machine immediately.

4.Add a quarter of the eggwhite to the passionfruit base and whisk to combine, then gently fold in remaining eggwhite with a spatula and transfer to a piping bag with no nozzle. Immediately pipe mixture into prepared moulds (this helps prevent air pockets), smooth tops with a palette knife, then run your finger around the rim of the moulds to stop edges sticking as the soufflés rise. Place on an oven tray and bake until risen and golden on top (8-9 minutes).

5.Make a hole in the top of each soufflé with your spoon to pour in the Anglaise at the table and serve immediately.