I hosted a lunch with my girlfriends, and I wanted to include an heirloom recipe from Helen Corbitt’s cookbook The Helen Corbitt Collection. I recall having her cold lemon soufflé on the menu at the Zodiac Tea Room in Neiman Marcus. I’ve never made a cold soufflé, but I knew I wanted to give it a try. It is a lovely dish to serve either as a dessert or, as I added it, as a “salad” side with Neiman Marcus Chicken Casserole, and watermelon balls tossed in mint and lime juice.
This recipe is one that requires you to plan ahead and set aside time, as it involves several steps. I must admit that I was a little nervous, as I had never made anything like this before. I was determined to give it my best shot. I made sure to measure out the ingredients and have the cookware ready before starting the cooking process. So, my best advice is not to plan on answering the phone, texting, or doing anything else that might be distracting. But, I was patient and it turned out delicious. I couldn’t find my vintage Jell-O molds, so I used custard cups, but you can also use a muffin tin or make one soufflé in a large Jell-O mold.
Helen Corbitt's Cold Lemon Souffle
Ingredients
- 1 TBL plus one tsp unflavored gelatin (basically one package of gelatin, then open another to measure out an additional one tsp.
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 4 egg yolks, set aside the four egg whites for another step
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar Divided into two 1/2 cup measuring cups
- 1 tsp grated lemon rind
- 1/4 tsp lemon extract
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 can apricots, drained puree in the blender
Instructions
- Soften gelatin in cold water and set aside.
- Mix egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and 1/2 cup sugar.
- Cook in double boiler until thickened. I tested this by dipping a spoon in the pan and if the mixture coated the spoon it was ready.
- Stir in gelatin, lemon peel, and lemon extract with a whisk. Set aside.
- Empty the boiling water out of the double boiler and replace with water and ice so you can set the bowl of gelatin mixture down into the ice water bath to cool the mixture down.
- While the gelatin is cooling, using an electric hand mixer beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until stiff.
- In a separate bowl whip the whipping cream.
- Fold egg whites into the gelatin custard as it begins to congeal, then add in the whipped cream. Don't rush, and gently fold everything in using a spatula.
- Pour into custard cups and refrigerate overnight.
- Unmold and serve with a sauce of apricots pureed in the blender and sweetened with sugar to taste.
Let me know if you make it! Mr. Twist loved it, so I’m pretty sure we will hang onto this recipe!
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
