Blackberry Souffle Recipe

This is not really a traditional Basque or Spanish recipe but more of a dinner party dessert with a WOW factor. The use of fresh blackberries on this recipe comes from my memories as a child picking these delicious juicy berries. The base of this soufflé is a thick blackberry puree cooked down with sugar and Patxaran liqueur. Patxaran is a sloe berry and anise based liqueur made mainly in the Basque Country and Navarra. The Patxaran liqueur and berry combination works really well whilst the texture of the soufflé brings lightness to the dish. Making a soufflé for dessert can be something quite daunting for an amateur cook but impressive if you can pull it off. The basis of a well risen soufflé are simple, a thick cream or fruit puree folded gently into stiff meringue made from beaten egg whites, the mix is then filled into well-greased baking moulds and baked in a hot oven for over 10 minutes. The most important steps when making a soufflé are to ensure you keep the air in the meringue when you gently fold the fruit puree and ensuring your soufflé moulds are well greased with butter and coated with sugar before baking the mix.