Banana Soufflé

A soufflé is a light, fluffy, baked dish made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with various other ingredients and served as a savory main dish or sweetened as a dessert. The word soufflé is the past participle of the French verb souffler which means "to blow up" or more loosely "puff up" — an apt description of what happens to this combination of custard and egg whites.

Yield:

Serves 4.

Ingredients

1. 2 ripe bananas
2. 3 tbsp water
3. 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
4. 4 egg whites
5. Pinch of salt
6. Pinch of cinnamon

Directions

1. Butter and sugar 4 4-ounce ramekins.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Peel bananas and puree in a food processor until smooth.
4. In a small saucepan, bring water and 1/4 cup sugar to a boil. Simmer 4 minutes or until thickened and sugar has dissolved.
5. Add banana puree and cinnamon to sugar syrup, stir until incorporated. Set aside to cool completely.
6. In a stainless steel bowl, beat egg whites and salt until foamy. Add remaining tablespoon of sugar and beat to soft peaks.
7. Fold cooled banana puree into egg white mixture. Pour into ramekins and place ramekins on a baking sheet.
8. Place baking sheet in the oven and immediately turn temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until puffed up.

Notes