Coconut milk soufflé with hot buttered rum and spice-roasted pineapple
This piña colada-inspired dessert is all about the timing of the soufflé being ready to be served at once with the hot buttered rum and roasted pineapple.
You will need 4–6 9x5cm/3½x2in ramekins to make this dish.
Ingredients
For the spice-roasted pineapple
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú demerara sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- pinch cracked black pepper
- 1 pineapple, peeled, top leaves left on
- 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
For the coconut milk soufflé
- 30g/1oz unsalted butter, melted
- 170g/6oz caster sugar
- 1 x 400ml/14fl oz tin coconut milk
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 1 lime, zest only
- 6 free-range eggs, at room temperature, separated
- generous pinch cream of tartar
For the hot buttered rum
- 4 tbsp double cream
- 60g/2¼oz salted butter
- 110g/4oz sugar
- 5 tbsp dark rum
- pinch ground cinnamon
- pinch grated nutmeg
To serve
- 20²µ/¾´Ç³ú icing sugar, for dusting
- edible flowers, to garnish
Method
To make the spice-roasted pineapple, preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle into a baking dish. Toss the pineapple around, so that it is coated in the sugary spices, then dot with lumps of the butter. Put the pineapple into the oven and roast for 30–40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with the spiced juices, until the pineapple is golden-brown and caramelised. Carve into thick wedges.
To make the coconut milk soufflé, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Melt the unsalted butter, then brush the inside of the ramekins (ideally 9x5cm/3½x2in sized) thoroughly with the melted butter and coat with 60g/2¼oz of the caster sugar, gently tapping away any excess. Reserve the remaining 110g/3¾oz of sugar.
In a small saucepan, on low, whisk the coconut milk, flour, cornflour and lime zest until thickened into a custard – this will take about 4 minutes. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then beat the egg yolks into the custard. Cover with foil and keep in a warm place.
In another mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy and light. Add the cream of tartar and continue to whisk, adding the reserved caster sugar gradually, until the mixture forms stiff peaks when the whisk is removed from the bowl.
Vigorously beat a quarter of the whipped egg whites into the custard to lighten it. Fold in the remaining egg whites, quickly but gently. Do not over-fold – you want to retain as much air as possible in the mixture.
Pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins and level off the tops with a smooth knife or palette knife. Use your clean little finger to trace a line around the inner edge of each dish to separate the soufflé from the rim (this will help them rise straight). Put the ramekins on a baking tray and into the oven for about 10–14 minutes, or until risen and golden-brown, but still with a bit of a jiggle when gently nudged.
For the hot buttered rum, stir the cream, butter and sugar in a small pan on a low heat until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is smooth – about 5–8 minutes. Do not let it boil. Stir in the spices and the rum and keep warm. Just before the soufflés are ready, pour the hot buttered rum into a pouring jug.
To serve, arrange the pineapple on plates. As soon as the soufflés are out of the oven, dust them lightly with icing sugar and decorate with the flowers. Serve immediately with the hot buttered rum and pineapple.
Recipe Tips
You can prepare the soufflé mixture a day ahead before cooking, up to the point of adding the egg yolks and covering with foil. Leave in the fridge and then gently reheat to room temperature the next day, before adding the whisked egg whites.
