Civilizations rise and fall and if you don’t make it right, so will your soufflé. This delicate dish requires precision, a bit of patience and a lot of whisking. First and foremost you must crack the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks, careful that no yolk will get to the white and vice versa. Just a small speck of yolk on the whites will fail to create stable white foam which is the basis of a triumphant soufflé. In this home cooking recipe, Chef Arthur Dorshner makes a warm raspberry soufflé cooked horizontally. Decorated with red currants and sprigs of mint and flavored with a warm raspberry coulis, this striking dessert recipe will make a lasting impression in any special occasion.

Egg whites are all protein while egg yolks are both protein and fat. When you beat the egg whites, you mix in air with them and they form a skin around the air bubbles causing them to foam. If there is a trace of fat present (from the yolk) the air leaks away and the skin won’t form. The egg whites must be beaten until stiff, and at its peak stage, must be smooth and moist, and only slightly slippery when you tip the bowl. Overbeaten egg whites will look dull, flaky, and thick and will be hard to fold in the soufflé batter. The air bubbles should be very fine and the peaks soft enough that the tips fall over when the beater is taken out of the bowl.

Use very clean stainless-steel bowls for beating the egg whites and the egg yolks separately. Later, they will folded in together to make the batter. A perfectly cooked soufflé has a golden crust on the top and feels firm to the touch. When you shake it gently, it will jiggle only a little.

Ingredients
1.3 lbs. raspberries
6 egg yolks, 8 egg whites (beaten)
2 tablespoons wild raspberries eau de vie (brandy)
7 tablespoons sugar
2 bourbon vanilla pods
Decoration:
8 mint leaves
¾ cup raspberry sauce (fresh raspberry pulp, mixed with sugar)

Crack the eggs and separate the whites and the yolks in different mixing bowls.

Whisk the egg yolks with some sugar until smooth and creamy. Cut the vanilla pods and extract the grains, mix in with the egg yolks. Add a dash of brandy to flavor subtly and continue whisking.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff and foamy. Add sugar and pinch of salt and whisk in.

Add the white and yolk mixture together and fold in together with a spatula until you get a thick and puffy batter.

On a baking plate, pour raspberry coulis in the center. Heap fresh raspberries on top of the coulis. Pour soufflé batter over the raspberries, covering them and making a dome. Garnish with berries around the souffle. Bake in the oven for 360 degrees for twelve minutes.

Once cooked, pour coulis around the soufflé. Decorate with a sprig of mint and some red currant.