• Says Astrid of the frozen Grand Marnier soufflés with almond tuiles she’s dedicating to her mom:

    “The inspiration for this dish comes from a restaurant called The Swiss Inn, which we used to visit frequently as a family. My mother would often order the soufflé glacé Grand Marnier for dessert. In honour of her, I have done my best to recreate it!”

    Astrid adds: “Want a soufflé that never flops? Make a frozen one! The texture is lusciously light and mousse-like, with a boozy centre!”

    Watch the step-by-step video and find the full recipe below:

    FROZEN GRAND MARNIER SOUFFLÉ WITH ALMOND TUILES

    Serves 4 A LITTLE EFFORT 45 mins + 4 hrs, to freeze

    WHAT YOU NEED

    SOUFFLÉ
    5 egg yolks
    80g white sugar
    2 tbsp water
    2 tbsp orange juice
    ½ tsp orange zest, finely grated
    60ml (¼ cup) Grand Marnier liqueur + 4 tsp, to serve
    310ml (1¼ cups) fresh cream

    ALMOND TUILES

    1 large egg white
    3 tbsp castor sugar
    drop almond extract
    2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
    35g cake flour
    30g almond flakes
    1 tbsp icing sugar

    cocoa powder, to dust

    fresh orange slices, to serve

    HOW TO DO IT

    1 Prepare 4 freezer-proof ramekins of 125ml capacity each by cutting out 4 strips of greaseproof paper/acetate. Wrap each strip around the top half of each ramekin, securing with tape/string to form a collar. The collar should extend at least 3cm above the top of the ramekin.

    2 Place the egg yolks, white sugar, water, orange juice and orange zest in a heatproof bowl placed over a pan of simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk the mixture constantly until it reaches 70°C on a sugar thermometer. Remove from heat.

    3 Using an electric hand-held/stand mixer, whisk the egg-yolk mixture on high speed for 5 – 10 minutes until it doubles in volume and the mixture has cooled to room temperature. Add the 60ml (¼ cup) Grand Marnier and whisk again for a few minutes to incorporate.

    4 In a separate bowl, whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg-yolk mixture until there are no more streaks of cream but be careful not to overmix. Divide the mixture equally among the 4 collared ramekins, smoothing out the tops of the soufflé mixture. Freeze to set, at least 4 hours.

    5 To make the almond tuiles, preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper/silicone baking mat.

    6 In the bowl of an electric hand-held/stand mixer, lightly whisk the egg white and castor sugar together until foamy. Add the melted and cooled butter and almond extract, and mix well. Lastly add the flour and whisk until smooth.

    7 Spoon a heaped teaspoon of tuile batter onto the prepared baking tray and spread into a circle, as thinly and evenly as possible. Alternatively, use a triangle-shaped acetate stencil and spread the tuile mixture thinly and evenly over the stencil. Repeat with the remaining tuile batter. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds, then sift over the icing sugar.

    8 Place in the preheated oven to bake for 5 – 6 minutes, or until the tuiles are just turning golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking tray for 20 seconds. Working with 1 tuile at a time, carefully remove from the tray and lay over a rolling pin to curl. Quickly repeat with the remaining tuiles, allowing each tuile to set into this curled shape, about 5 minutes – the almond tuiles can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

    9 When you are ready to serve, carefully scoop out a small hollow in the centre of each soufflé and fill each hollow with 1 tsp Grand Marnier. Dust with cocoa powder and serve immediately with the almond tuiles and orange slices alongside.

    Imka Webb
    Author

    Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine.  www.imkawebb.com