Cranberry White Chocolate Souffle

     At a small cafe, I once worked for a great French chef who was famous for his souffles.  Previously, the French chef was running the kitchen of a very nice old restaurant.  That old restaurant had a change of ownership and the new owners decided to close the restaurant permanently.  
     During the last two final weeks that the old restaurant was open, the chef ran a very interesting special du jour.  "Any kind of souffle that you want for $5.00" was the special offering!
     At a cost of a $5.00 promotional price for souffle, that restaurant did the most amount of business that it ever had done during the final two weeks of business.  The chef's idea was to offer souffle at a low price, so he could sell all the remaining food stock, before the doors were nailed shut.  On the final night of business, the only remaining food stock in that old restaurant kitchen was just a few items to make strawberry dessert souffles with. 
     Customers like a nice souffle at a good price!  When customers order souffle, they usually order an entree, wine and an appetizer or dessert.  Good sweet or savory souffles can help to sell every other item on the menu.  In this case, the object of selling souffle at a bargain price was to help permanently sellout every remaining food item in the restaurant kitchen.  The plan worked! 
     
     Cranberry White Chocolate Souffle:
     Boil 1 cup of water over medium high heat in a sauce pot.
     Add 1/3 cup of sugar.
     When the sugar cooks to the hard crack stage (300º to 310º), immediately add 1/2 cup of chopped fresh cranberries.
     Allow the hot sugar to sieze the cranberries.
     Add 3/4 cup of water.
     Add 1/4 cup of brandy.
     Reduce the temperature to low heat.
     Simmer and reduce the cranberry sauce, till it can easily glaze the back of a spoon.
     Press the sauce through a fine mesh strainer.  The sauce should look like a fine translucent puree syrup.
     Keep the cranberry puree sauce warm on a stove top.
     Heat 1/3 cup of cream over low heat in a small sauce pot.
     Add 1 ounce of chopped white chocolate.
     Add 1 pinch of nutmeg.
     Gently reduce the white chocolate cream sauce while stirring occasionally, till it becomes a medium thin sauce consistency.
     Keep the white chocolate cream warm on a stove top.
     Lightly brush a 2 cup souffle ramekin with melted unsalted butter.
     Lightly dust the butter with flour and shake out any excess flour.  
     Separate the yolks and whites of 2 eggs into separate mixing bowls.
     Whisk the egg whites, till soft medium peaks form.
     Slowly add the warm white chocolate cream sauce to the egg yolks in the second mixing bowl, while constantly stirring.
     Add the cranberry sauce to the white chocolate cream souffle mix, while stirring.
     Gently fold the cranberry white chocolate cream mixture into the egg white meringue in the mixing bowl, one third at a time.
     Immediately pour the mixture into the souffle ramekin.
     Place the souffle ramekin on a baking pan.
     Bake the souffle in a 375º oven, till the souffle puffs up and till a thin brown crust forms over the top of the souffle.  (About 20 minutes) 
     Set the souffle on a serving dish and sprinkle a little bit of powdered sugar over the souffle.
     Serve immediately!
 
     Try not to disturb a souffle while it is baking.  A souffle takes almost twenty minutes to bake.  No accompanying dessert sauce is needed with this great tasting souffle.  The flavor of fresh cranberry and white chocolate tastes nice in its own!  This is a great holiday dessert souffle.  Delicious!  ...  Shawna