Cold Rhubarb Souffle
Submitted by webe
Airy cold rhubarb souffle with whipped cream, fluffy egg whites, and a tart rhubarb puree, set with gelatin and crowned with fresh strawberries. A showpiece spring dessert.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
10 minREADY
6 hrsThis cold rhubarb souffle rises above the rim of its mold like a cloud made of spring itself.
Tart rhubarb puree gets folded into billowy whipped egg whites and stiff cream, set gently with gelatin, and chilled for six hours until it firms into something impossibly light and mousse-like.
Peel away the wax paper collar and you’ve got a souffle that stands tall, blushing pink, ready to be crowned with fresh strawberries and piped whipped cream rosettes.
It’s the kind of dessert that earns a round of applause at the table.
Pro Tips
- Fold gently. The whole point is to keep air in the mixture. Aggressive stirring will deflate your souffle before it ever hits the fridge.
- Make sure the gelatin is fully dissolved in the hot rhubarb juice before combining. Any undissolved bits will create rubbery streaks.
- The wax paper collar should extend at least 2 inches above the rim of the mold so the souffle can set above the edge for that dramatic presentation.
- Use the ripest strawberries you can find for garnish. Their sweetness against the tart rhubarb is the whole point.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the rhubarb with ¼ cup water and 1 ¾ cup sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan for about 10 minutes until soft.
Strain and cook down the juice to ½ cup.
Purée the rhubarb in a food mill or a blender, or put through a vegetable mill.
Soften the gelatin in 2 tablespoons cold water, then add to the hot rhubarb juice and stir until completely dissolved.
Add the puree.
Beat the cream until stiff.
Beat the egg whites until they begin to stiffen, then add the stiff peaks form.
Fold first the eggwhite mixture into the rhubarb, then the whipped cream.
Make a collar of wax paper and fit it around a 1½ quart souffle mold.
Chill for at least six hours.
Remove the collar and decorate the top with fresh strawberries and rosettes of whipped cream piped from a pastry tube.
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