Cranberry Soufflé

created by Maud Hallin

serves 9 people as dessert

7 1/2 ounces fresh cranberries, whole

1 cup water from heaven, divided

2 star anise, crushed by the side of a knife

1 tablespoon finely chopped or grated orange peel

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 to 4 ounces sugar (taste to see if you want more)

1 tablespoon potato (or corn) starch

1/2 teaspoon salt

soft butter and finely granulated sugar for coating the ramekins

4 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Put berries and 3 ounces of cold water into a pot. Combine the crushed star anise with 2 tablespoons of the water and microwave for two minutes to get the anise "moving." Mix that water with the berries, and put the star anise in a bit of cheese cloth, metal tea bag, or similar, so you can remove it easily later. Add to the berry mix. Add orange peel and vanilla extract. Cook about 5 minutes, until berries are "crushed." Add the sugar and taste. Stir potato or corn starch into 6 tablespoons of water, and stir into cranberry mix. Add another 1/2 cup of water. Cool to room temperature and remove star anise.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter individual ramekins (the size of my ramekins is 3/4 cup) with soft butter, then dust with sugar. Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar to hard peaks. Carefully blend egg whites with the room temperature cranberry mix, and fill the ramekins 3/4 of the way. Bake in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

This festive fall and winter dessert can easily be done with frozen cranberries or with lingonberries. Ifyou use lingonberry preserves, reduce the sugar to half. Obviously this berry mix can also be served on ice cream, etc. As this is a terribly easy, inexpensive, and elegant dessert, I havefrozen individual portions
of the cranberry mix in ice cube trays/or similar, so that I can easily pull out a couple for a quick dessert. When I have made smaller portions, 1 large egg white has been enough for two ramekins.