Showing off with Souffle

I'm always so impressed when people serve souffle, I see it as a visual work of culinary art, a dish that's created only buy professional chef's, a dish that I was convinced I could never do, and was always too nervous to attempt.
So one afternoon, I found myself alone in the house, I drew the blinds and closed the doors, and attempted my first souffle.  I had no recipe to follow, but I had seen one made recently on TV.  If it went wrong I could bin it without embarrassment and no one would be any the wiser, at least I would have attempted it.

As it turned out, it was one of the easiest desserts I've ever made, simple, quick, light and delicious, sadly souffle's have to be served immediately as they start to deflate after about 90 seconds.

Easy Apple Souffle

6 Granny Smith apples

1/3rd cup good Raspberry jam

generous splash of Kirsch

1 tbsp powdered drinking chocolate

(I like to use Cadbury's Drinking Chocolate)

1/2 tsp powdered cinnamon

1 ounce of butter softened

6 Egg whites

1/4 cup of sugar

pinch salt

1 level tbsp cornflour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, 180

Cut the top off the apples, and discard, and carefully scoop out all the flesh, creating a cup. 

Butter the inside of the apples, sprinkle the powdered chocolate and a little cinnamon inside each apple, shake the apple to evenly distribute the powder.

Heat the raspberry jam in a saucepan until runny, add a splash of kirsch and the cornflour, stir well to mix and set aside. 

In a medium bowl (wiped around with a little white wine vinegar) beat the egg whites,  sugar and salt until stiff.  Fold the meringue into the jam mixture mix throughly but gently, and fill the apples with the mixture.

Level the mix with a knife, then run the edge of a teaspoon around \the rim of the apple, leaving a small gap between the rim of the apple and the souffle mix.

Cook for 12 - 13 minutes, or until well risen in the center of the oven,  dust with confectioners sugar and serve immediately. 

I got a little carried away with the confectioners sugar
it looks like a snowfall.

My first attempt at a souffle turned out pretty well, I was grinning like a Cheshire cat.  It really was so easy, now I'm going to try other sweet and savory souffle's, but I'll only be posting the successful ones.

http://video.pbs.org/video/1166762973/  copy and paste this link, with the fabulous Julia Child

Enjoy :o)