Rhubarb souffle for April in Paris
Monthly mingle; April in Paris
Alors, j’taime Paris… My love affair with France dates back from when I was a little kid. My parents always went to France on holidays. When we were big enough to ‘survive’ the long trip from our home to Bretagne, we went there every year. I must have been 13 or 14 when I entered for the very first time. We went to places like St. Malo or Boules (it was called differently but can’t think of the actual name now!) as long as it was close to anything resembling water. My nickname in those days was ‘waterrat’; if there was water around, you would find me in it. So any camping we would go to would have to be by the seaside or a large lake (we went to the Dordogne a couple of times too)
In fact, I received my very first kiss in France. I was 15 years old, very tall and very slim (tall I still am, but not sure where the slimness went..lol) and very blond. We went on holiday that year with friends from my parents who had two kids (they had more kids, but only two came on that particular holiday) and both of them were boys. The youngest of the two was my little sisters age but the oldest of the two, R. was a little older then me and quite handsome too.
Rhubarb and blackberry souffle with crumble
I was already feeling those famous butterflies in my stomach every time he walked close to me. At some point we were visiting rather boring caves somewhere close to Paris and R. and I stayed a little bit behind. He suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me close. “Have you ever kissed?” He asked me. I squeaked something that must have sounded like ‘no’. ‘Would you like me to show you how to kiss?’ He proceeded asking, at which I squeaked ‘yes’ and that’s how it happened. I received my very first French kiss in France. How fitting! I can’t say I totally enjoyed the experience but we got to practice that entire holiday so we did get quite good at it.
Of course we never wanted our parents to find out what was going on, so we had a lot of fun hiding our ‘activities’ from our folks. I’m pretty sure that they knew what we were doing behind the tents but at the time we were totally convinced we were being secretive and no one knew we ‘were in love’. It was fun while it lasted and it was really only a holiday fling, but fun non the less.
The theme of this months Monthly Mingle brought back all those memories from years past. Made me think about how I love Paris and France in general. Yes, the french can be obnoxious and arrogant at times, but quite honestly I’ve never had a lot of trouble with that. O I now remember a funny story about my Parisian boyfriend too! I’ll save that for another day!
This months mingle is hosted by my dear friend and fabulous writer Jamie from Lifes a Feast. She is an American but has been living in France for a rather long time, so this theme could have come from no other then her! Check out her post about the Mingle and her own entry here, which looks pretty amazing too. The Monthly Mingle is an invention from my other friend Meeta from What’s for Lunch Honey, where a new theme is picked every month. it’s been too long since I last participated as I love the mingle, but couldn’t skip this one, now could I?
Couldn’t resist playing with the lensbaby ofcourse
To fit the theme I chose rhubarb and blackberry souffles with a crumble on top. I originally saw this recipe made during an episode of Masterchef Australia and was planning to make it. So when I saw this months theme I just knew it had to be these babies. What can I say? Totally delicious, fluffy and worth making! I was a little afraid the mixture might be too liquid but it worked brilliantly. I didn’t have icecream and whipping cream but that would be fantastic with this dessert.
Rhubarb and blackberry souffle with crumble
Yield: 6
Ingredients:
- 500g rhubarb (cut into 2 cm pieces)
- 140g sugar
- 150g black berries
- 4 egg whites
- 75g sugar
Crumble
- 75g flour
- 50g butter
- 50g brown sugar
- pinch salt
- 50g rolled oats
- 50g hazelnuts (roughly chopped)
Directions:
| Preheat the oven to 200 C. Put the rhubarb with the 140 gr of sugar in a pan, add a splash of water, cover the pan and let it simmer on low heat for a while. |
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| Crumble | |
| Make a crumble by adding the ingredients together in a bowl and mix it with your fingers till it resembles a rough crumble. Put the crumble on a baking tray, spread it out and bake for about 5 minutes until light golden brown. | |
| Butter your ramekins twice. Butter once and then put in the fridge for 5 minutes, butter again and put a tsp of sugar in the ramekin. Turn it around so the sugar coats all the sides of the ramekin well and tap out the excess sugar. Put aside until ready to use. | |
| Once the rhubarb is cooked but still has some chunky bits in it, add the blackberries. You can use frozen blackberries if you cannot find fresh. Add a bit of lemon zest in the pan as well. Put some cornflour in a small bowl, add water and whisk until smooth. Add this bit by bit to your fruit mixture until it is thick enough. It should become a thick puree. Leave to boil for another 1,5 minute to cook the cornflour. Then put your fruit puree into another bowl and stir to cool it down for at least five minutes. | |
| Take 4 eggwhites and add about 1 tbsp of sugar to it and start whisking until it becomes soft and glossy. Add 75 gr of sugar and whisk until it forms soft peaks. Don't overwhisk it. | |
| Put 1/3 of your fruitpuree in a bowl and add about the same amount of eggwhites to it and carefully fold until combined. Repeat this until it's all incorporated. Take your ramekins and with spoon pointing downwards fill all your ramekins up till the rim. Smooth the top with a knife and run a finger along the side of the ramekin to make sure nothing sticks at the sides as that will prevent your souffle from rising. |
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| Put the ramekins in the oven for 6-7 minutes, take them out (they should have risen about 1-2 cm at that stage) and add some crumble on top. Not too much as that will weigh it down but just eough to give it a bit extra. Bake for another 3 minutes and you're done. | |
Recipe from masterchef Australia
Appetizer
Asian
Bread
Breakfast
Desserts & other sweets
Healthy
Absolutely beautiful! This souffle has the best color!
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 19th, 2012 at 23:07
Yes I love that bright pinkish color..
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How stunning! The gorgeous color depicts spring so perfectly
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 19th, 2012 at 23:07
Thanks Sarah!
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Wonderful soufflés! Delightfully rhubarby and pink.
Cheers,
Rosa
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 19th, 2012 at 23:08
Yes. And I have some of that delicious puree left so am already thinking what to make with it tomorrow!
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Wow, that is a gorgeous souffle! The color is just so beautiful – it scream SPRING!
Looks so delicious. 
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 19th, 2012 at 23:11
Thanks Sara. it was quite delicious I can tell you!
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Oh, I loved this souffle recipe. The pictures are extremely tempting and I am craving for your souffle now.
Please drop by my blog http://cosmopolitancurrymania.blogspot.com/ and collect some awards waiting for you!
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 19th, 2012 at 23:11
Thanks for the award Purabi!
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Morning Simone!
These look absolutely fabulous, and a must try :~D
Thank you for sharing.
Have a Joyful Day!
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 19th, 2012 at 23:15
Thanks Charlie! Definitely a must try!
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Oh gorgeous Simone which i was home to make!! will save it for next spring or maybe freeze some rhubarb
)
beside how could one not love France when you have a pretty French name!
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 19th, 2012 at 23:12
O you know what’s funny? I never realized that I do indeed have a french name! (I mean I know that ofcourse, but it never hit me when writing this post..lol)
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The story is hysterical! Love it almost as much as I love the soufflé! Gorgeous soufflé and as I told you not only is it French but the French are wild about rhubarb so this is perfect…and pink for love in the City of Romance!!! So happy you made this for my Monthly Mingle! And now I have to try this recipe! xo
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 19th, 2012 at 23:13
O you should definitely make this Jamie. The souffles are just delicious and if you add a little cream… it’s even better..
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Love the pink….looks fantastic. Rhubarb is something I have never used, this recipe of yours makes me crave for some:)
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 19th, 2012 at 23:14
You never used rhubarb Nina? If you can get your hands on some you should definitely give it a go. I love rhubarb!
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I love that gorgeous pink souffle!
It’s been a while since I made one, so this is a great reminder, because I love them. You must have been quick with taking those pictures though, they are perfectly rised and there’s no collapsing (yet);)
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 19th, 2012 at 23:14
Haha… yes I made sure everything was setup so I could take a quick photo. It’s funny to check all the photos after one another as you can literally see the souffle slowly sink..
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This is so lovely! Definitely pink, perfect, and spring-y. I must try this as I’ve not eaten or cooked with rhubarb before, and I have blackberries in the fridge. Adore the story accompanying the recipe and photos
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 20th, 2012 at 10:44
Thanks Athena. Apparently there are quite a few people who have not had the pleasure of eating rhubarb..;) I love rhubarb. Hope you get to try it!
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Oh I have souffle on my kitchen bucket list, I love this flavor combination! I am a huge fan of rhubarb, and saw some at the farmers market last weekend. I need to get some, there are so many lovely recipes I could make:-) Love that you used to travel to France every year, that would be such a beautiful experience! Take care, Hugs, Terra
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 20th, 2012 at 10:45
Thanks Terra. yes I love France and it such a big country to explore too.
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Look at that gorgeous color – so pink and rhubarby!!! it’s a pity we dont get rhubarb here in my part of the world – maybe i could try with some other fruits! and i love how quick you were with the pictures! they look perfect and so well risen! and of course, Paris, je t’aime!
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 20th, 2012 at 10:46
Haha, yes it did take a bit of planning to be able to capture the souffles while at their best but I managed!
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These are so lovely… and pink! Love it. And I love your story. I was 15 for my first kiss too… and mortified that I would turn 16 without getting one and officially be an old maid. I agree though, the first one isn’t exactly enjoyable! Good memories, thanks for drudging them up.
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 20th, 2012 at 10:47
Isn’t it funny those misconceptions we have when we were kids…
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I can so relate to this posting about first kisses, but the IMAGES are intoxicating! Gorgeous!
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 20th, 2012 at 15:48
Thanks so much Robin!
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wow, colours are beautiful.
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OOh what a lovely color this is! Love rhubarb and adore souffle! Perfect dessert for the MM!
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I’ve had to laugh out loud reading your story, so funny. The color of the souffle is gorgeous, I’m definitely making it tonight if I can get some rhubarbs. By the way, how much cornflour do you need?
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 20th, 2012 at 15:47
You don’t need a lot. it’s just to thicken the sauce so it depends on the amount of fluids in your fruit puree. I actually used “allesbinder” which is so more convenient and I didn’t measure it. Just put something in and then checked if it had the right consistency..
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Gourmantine — April 20th, 2012 at 16:05
Ok, thanks a lot and have a nice weekend!
I love the lovely shade of pink this souffle is! Beautiful!
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Simone (junglefrog) — April 22nd, 2012 at 13:15
Thanks so much Kate!
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Simone your souffle’s have to be the prettiest souffle’s I’ve seen. They just look so beautiful with their gorgeous pink colour towering over the top of the ramekin.
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So beautiful and delicious-looking! I’m pinning it for later!
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Your soufflé is a real beauty! A real winner too!
getting your 1st kiss,…what a good memery! hahahha!:)
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Oh my goodness, this recipe sounds so delicious! I’ve never made a souffle, but the chocolate one I’ve had was amazing, and I love rhubarb and blackberries, so this looks perfect for me to try. I would never have thought to put crumble on top of a souffle, but I’m sure it adds some delicious texture and brown sugary goodness. I love the color it comes out to be also. Now I need to get ramekins so I can try out this recipe!
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Ooh – what a revelation! How romantic! The colour of these souffles is stunning.
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Your awesome souffles are currently in the oven. Well, I forgot to buy blackberries so they don’t have the pretty pinkish colour but I’m already looking forward to them.
And, as these are my first souffles ever, I’m proud to announce: They are rising!
Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!
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These are stunningly beautiful! I absolutely LOVE the color. It’s time to go pick my rhubarb… I’m just not sure I feel real confident converting the recipe from metric measurements. Eep! Very nice blog… I discovered you from the recipe pin on Pinterest.
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oh just saw this…. so delicious so pretty!,
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