Peach Souffle with Cinnamon Creme Anglaise

Prepare the Creme Anglaise first so that it can be chilling while you make the souffles.

For the Creme Anglaise:
Place the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla bean seeds and the pod of the vanilla bean, and the cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium low until warm and sugar has dissolved.

Whisk the egg yolks in a separate heatproof bowl. Slowly add about 1/2 of the warm cream to the egg yolks whisking constantly. Add the egg mixture back into the saucepan and heat on medium-low until the cream becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and a thermometer inserted registers 180°F. Strain the mix through a sieve into a bowl, and discard vanilla bean. Chill until ready to use.

For the souffles:
Position your rack on the bottom of your oven and preheat it to 400°F. Butter (generously) six 8 ounce ramekins and set them aside on a rimmed baking sheet.

Pulse the peaches in the work bowl of your food processor until coarsely chopped. Place 2 Tablespoons of the peaches in the bottom of each ramekin. To the remainder of the peach mix add the lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Process until very smooth and set aside.

With your electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and a pinch of salt on medium speed until frothy. Add 1 Tablespoon of sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Slowly add the remainder of the sugar and beat on high speed until the whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks.

Add about 1/4 of the beaten egg whites to the puree mixture. Stir until well mixed. And then pour this mixture over the remaining egg whites and fold gently. They don’t have to be perfectly combined. Spoon the mix into the ramekins. The mix should come just to the top of the ramekin. Smooth the top of each with a metal spatula. And then run your thumb around the inside of the rim of each dish. This will help the souffles to rise higher.

Bake 8-10 minutes until puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and serve IMMEDIATELY. I served them drizzled with the cinnamon creme anglaise. Also, as the souffle naturally deflates . . . I removed one from the ramekin onto a plate of creme anglaise and topped it with the peaches from the bottom of the ramekin.