Perfect Pumpkin Soufflé with Cinnamon Sabayon

A Lite and Memorable Ending to your Thanksgiving Feast

Nov 14, 2008 Julie Herson

A Fresh Alternative to Pumpkin Pie

Forget pumpkin pie; whipping-up this airy soufflé is not only easy, it's refreshingly lite and simply beautiful when served tableside with a luxurious cinnamon sabayon sauce.

A Note on Timing

Timing is everything with this dish. It's quite simple to prepare, but if timed incorrectly, the dramatic allure of the height and texture of the perfect soufflé will be lost to droopy deflation. Therefore, calculate precisely how much time you will need for its preparation, plus cooking, so you will know the exact moment to send it to the table. The soufflé base can be prepared in advance, because it only needs to be lukewarm to mix with the whites; and you can even scale the ingredients in advance. Also, the sabayon sauce can be made ahead as well and reserved in the refrigerator until service.

Here is a suggested timing schedule: 6-7 minutes to whisk the egg whites; 5-6 minutes to mix them and to dress the soufflé; about 14-16 minutes for cooking, which gives a total of 30 minutes. So while the kids are clearing the table and everyone is digesting your delicious meal, quickly whip up the mixture and bake. By the time the dishes are done and everyone is hungry again, the souffles will be ready.

Yield: Makes 12 individual soufflés. To calculate a different yield use a Recipe Conversion Factor

For the Soufflé

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces softened butter
• ½ cup sugar, or enough for dusting
• 1 ½ cups milk
• ½ vanilla bean
• 4 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon arrowroot
• 1 cup solid-pack canned pumpkin
• 8 large egg whites (room temp)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 12 4-ounce ramekins. Dust ramekins with first amount of sugar and knock out excess. Make sure rim of ramekin is free of sugar to ensure proper rising of soufflé. Place ramekins in the refrigerator until ready to fill.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring milk to boil. Add vanilla bean, remove pan from heat, cover, and let steep 30 minutes. Strain milk, discarding vanilla bean, and set aside.
3. Base Mixture (can be made ahead): In large bowl or electric mixer, whip together egg yolks and 6 tablespoons of sugar until light. Sift flour and arrowroot together and add to egg mixture. Mix until well combined. Temper egg yolk mixture with some of the hot milk, whisking constantly to get egg mixture up to temperature, then add back to remaining milk. Return this mixture to saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until custard boils and thickens enough to coat back of a spoon, which should take from 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl, whisk in pumpkin purée, and set aside.
4. Egg White Mixture (make at time of assembly): Beat egg whites in electric mixer at medium-high until foamy and slightly opaque. While still beating, add remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, then beat until stiff but not dry. Carefully fold 1/3 of egg whites into pumpkin mixture to lighten, then add mixture to remaining whites, folding in gently but thoroughly until there are no streaks and the mixture is homogeneous.
5. Using a pastry bag, pipe mixture into chilled ramekins, filling to the top. Then carefully wipe around rim to make sure there are no sugar crystals or soufflé mixture on the rim. Place ramekins in large baking pan able to easily hold water without sloshing around. Place baking pan on middle oven rack and add hot water around ramekins to depth of ¾ inch.
6. Bake until soufflés have risen well above rim and tops are golden brown, about 14-16 minutes. Do not open the oven while baking. To check if soufflés are done, carefully touch the sides, feeling for gentle resistance similar to what an eyeball would feel like. Serve immediately with cinnamon sabayon sauce.

Cinnamon Sabayon Sauce

• 7 egg yolks
• ½ cup sugar
• 1/3 cup wild turkey or other liquid
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 16 ounces heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

1. Using large metal bowl over a simmering water bath, combine yolks, sugar, liquid, and cinnamon.
2. Whip the mixture with the largest whisk you have until thick enough to hold a ribbon: 5-7 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and whip until cool (can be done in electric mixer). Fold in whipped cream gently by hand.

To serve tableside, carefully split open soufflé and spoon sabayon inside and on top. Sprinkle a scant amount of cinnamon on top if desired.