Salted caramel soufflés with salted caramel sauce

1. Heat oven to 200’C (180’C fan forced). Butter 4 x 300ml individual soufflé dishes or ramekins and sprinkle all over with demerara sugar. Place on a baking tray.
2. Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat, then add sugar, salt, cream and vanilla. Stir to combine. When sugar is melted, reduce heat and simmer for 1 min until sauce-like. Pour 200ml into a jug for serving.
3. Combine egg yolks and cornflour then stir into remaining caramel in the saucepan. Whisk constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens, about 3 mins. Sieve into a bowl and cool for 15 mins.
4. Beat egg whites in large bowl of electric mixer until foamy, then gradually beat in the remaining sugar until whites are stiff but not dry. Fold one-third of whites into caramel mixture in the pan, then fold that back into the whites. Divide mixture evenly between prepared ramekins and use a palette knife to scrape top level. Run your thumb and forefinger or a paring knife around the inner wall of the ramekin. This creates a small wall of air between the soufflé and the ramekin, which helps the soufflé rise up straight.
5. Place ramekins in a baking dish and pour boiling water half way up (easiest to do if they are on oven shelf, pulled out slightly). Bake until soufflés have risen and tops are golden and slightly firm to the touch, about 20-25 minutes. The soufflés should still be a little unset in the middle, but not runny. Serve immediately, with reheated caramel sauce and cream or ice-cream.

Lyndey's Note: Once you understand this technique, you can make many different sauces for pasta.