Ingredients
Equipment
Method
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- Make the crème pâtissière: Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan and warm over medium heat until steaming and just about to bubble. Meanwhile, sift the flour and cornstarch together, then whisk the egg yolks with the 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl until pale. Whisk in the flour mixture, then whisk in a splash of the hot milk to loosen it. Pour the rest of the milk in gradually, whisking constantly, then return everything to the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking nonstop, for 3 to 5 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and cool to room temperature. This base can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated.
- Juice the passion fruit: Scoop the pulp from the halved passion fruit into a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Press firmly with the back of a spoon to push all the juice through, scraping the underside of the sieve — you want about 1/4 cup of juice. Discard the seeds.
- Blend the fruit: Add the passion fruit juice, banana, lemon juice, and banana liqueur (if using) to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Stir the fruit puree into the cooled crème pâtissière until uniform in color and texture.
- Prep the ramekins: Using a pastry brush, coat the insides of 8 deep ramekins (about 8 oz each) with the softened butter, always brushing in upward vertical strokes — the butter should be as soft as skin, and the ramekins must be completely dry, or the coating will stick and the soufflé will climb unevenly. Dust the insides with the 2 tbsp of extra sugar (or the grated dark chocolate), tapping out the excess. Chill the ramekins so the coating sets firm.
- Whip the meringue: Heat the oven to 375°F. In a clean, dry bowl, whisk the egg whites with the lemon juice to firm peaks using a hand or stand mixer. Add the 1/4 cup sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking for about 10 seconds between additions, until you have a firm, glossy meringue.
- Loosen, then fold: Whisk one-third of the meringue into the passion fruit base hard — this is deliberate. The base is thick and heavy, and gentle folding at this stage leaves lumps of custard floating in deflated meringue, which bakes into dense pockets. Once the base is smooth and loosened, gently fold in the remaining two-thirds with a large metal spoon, turning the bowl as you go, stopping when just combined with no white streaks.
- Two-stage fill: Ladle the mixture into each ramekin until half full, then bang each ramekin firmly on a folded kitchen cloth to drive the mixture into the corners and release trapped air. Top off to the rim, smooth the surface with a small knife, and run your thumb around the inside edge to wipe the rim clean — that clean edge is what lets the soufflé rise straight.
- Bake and serve at once: Set the ramekins on a baking tray with a couple of inches between them. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until well risen, lightly golden on top, and wobbling gently in the center when nudged. Do not open the oven door until they are nearly done. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately — a soufflé waits for no one.
Notes
Make-ahead plan: The crème pâtissière with the fruit stirred in keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge — press plastic wrap on the surface. The buttered and dusted ramekins can also wait, chilled, for days. On the day, all you do is whip the whites, fold, fill, and bake.
Picking ripe passion fruit: Choose the ugliest ones in the box — heavily wrinkled, leathery skin that gives slightly when pressed. Smooth, shiny passion fruit are underripe, and their juice is too sour and thin for this base.
The liqueur is optional: 2 tbsp of banana liqueur adds a floral aroma, but the soufflé is complete without it. For an alcohol-free version, swap in 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Sugar vs. chocolate dusting: Caster sugar gives the classic caramelized, crisp shell. Grated dark chocolate gives a bittersweet shell that plays beautifully against the tart fruit — try one of each if you are making 8.
Storage: Soufflés do not store, reheat, or wait — bake them at the moment of serving. Any unused fruit base (before the egg whites go in) keeps 3 days refrigerated.
Picking ripe passion fruit: Choose the ugliest ones in the box — heavily wrinkled, leathery skin that gives slightly when pressed. Smooth, shiny passion fruit are underripe, and their juice is too sour and thin for this base.
The liqueur is optional: 2 tbsp of banana liqueur adds a floral aroma, but the soufflé is complete without it. For an alcohol-free version, swap in 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Sugar vs. chocolate dusting: Caster sugar gives the classic caramelized, crisp shell. Grated dark chocolate gives a bittersweet shell that plays beautifully against the tart fruit — try one of each if you are making 8.
Storage: Soufflés do not store, reheat, or wait — bake them at the moment of serving. Any unused fruit base (before the egg whites go in) keeps 3 days refrigerated.