Pear Apple Honey Souffle
This Pear Apple Honey Souffle was a guest favorite dessert at Hart and Hind Fitness Ranch in Texas, which is now, sadly, closed. “Hands down, the favorite dish of the week at Hart & Hind – a vote that ensured it would become a staple – was a pear, apple, and honey soufflé. The striking dessert couldn’t be easier to prepare. Organic pears and apples are peeled, cooked down, then blended into a thick puree (imagine the world’s best apple sauce). The mixture is flavored with a drop of Mexican vanilla, then folded into whipped egg whites and baked. It’s a revelation to discover that so few – and such lean – ingredients can create such a satisfying dessert.” — Cowgirl Chef Paula Disbrowe, formerly of Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch, a now closed fitness ranch in Texas
Servings: 6
Calories: 249kcal
This very low-fat Pear Apple Honey Souffle is healthy and pretty easy for such a show stopper of a dessert. Perfect for a light treat after supper.
Ingredients
- 1 pound apples (prefer pink lady or other firm tart-sweet variety), peeled, cored and sliced very thin
- 1 pound pears (very ripe), peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 lemon (juiced, fruit reserved for another use)
- 1/4 cup honey (or agave nectar)
- 6 pieces dried pear slices (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon Poire William liqueur (pear bandy) (optional)
- 2 tablespoons Splenda Sugar Blend (or granulated sugar)
- 8 egg whites (at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Almond Slices (optional)
Instructions
- Peel and slice the fresh fruit, letting the pieces fall directly into a large bowl of water acidulated with the juice of one lemon.
- When you’re finished peeling and slicing all fresh fruit, drain that fruit and transfer to a medium-sized saucepan. Add the honey and bring to simmer. Add a tiny bit of water if necessary, but the juices of the fruit and the water clinging to them should be sufficient. Turn heat to low and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring often.
- Now chop the dried pears, add them to the simmering fruit, and cook an additional 10 minutes. The fresh and dried fruit should cook down into a thick puree.
- Remove fruit from heat, stir in the vanilla and the Poire William Brandy (if using), and cool.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Puree the cooled fruit mixture in a blender or fruit processor, or, use a stick blender, to finely puree the entire batch. Transfer it to a bowl.
- Lightly butter 6 individual souffle dishes or ramekins. Dust each with a bit of granulated sugar or Splenda.
- Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until they form stiff (but not dry) peaks. Glossy is the goal.
- Stir in a quarter of the beaten egg white into the fruit puree and mix thoroughly. Gently fold in the rest of the egg whites, this time being careful not to over-mix, and just fold a few times.
- Transfer a portion of the base to each of the individual dishes. If using, top with almond slices. Place the dishes on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, until puffy and brown.
- Serve immediately.
Spa Index Kitchen Notes
This looks like a time-consuming recipe, but the majority of the time is spent making a fruit puree. You can make the fruit puree several days in advance in order not to take up your evening. We've also made this souffle with jarred Pear Sauce available from Trader Joe's. You could also use the resealable pouches of pureed fruit available in the baby food aisle (we love those for Greek Yogurt). They would work well here, too. You can stir the brandy into these prepared fruit purees as well. We made a similar Peach Souffle with Trader Joe's Peach Sauce which was sublime (until they stopped carrying it, drat). Tried this recipe?Mention or tag @SpaIndex so we can share!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 dish | Calories: 249 kcal (12%) | Carbohydrates: 54.5 g (18%) | Protein: 6 g (12%) | Fat: 2.1 g (3%) | Sodium: 81 mg (4%) | Fiber: 5.5 g (23%)
Can your spa chef guys give us some variations? We liked this a lot but but when we experimented with just apples it was too heavy. Any suggestions?
Well if you cooked and pureed the apples if should have made little difference, but consider this — aim for a similar moisture level and texture level with your substitutions, and, with the dried fruit. Make sure your additions in the form of “applesauce” are the same as the cooked pears. Perhaps Peach Sauce, or even your favorite baby food. We’ve made it with a jar of Apricot Baby Food and loved it! Sliced peaches would make a good sauce, both cooked and sliced in the dried form. Good luck!
This was easy, delicious, not too sweet, and looked very elegant
Hi very good dessert