Ravneet Gill’s recipe for apple souffle and hazelnuts | The sweet spot

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4

4 eating apples, such as braeburn
20g softened unsalted butter
45g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp cornflour
2 egg whites
20g blanched hazelnuts, roasted and chopped, plus extra to serve, if you like
Icing sugar, to dust
Vanilla ice-cream, to serveCut the tops off the apples and very carefully scoop out the flesh with a small spoon or melon baller, leaving about 4mm of flesh all around the edges of the shell. Remove and discard the cores and seeds from the scooped-out flesh – you will need 180g in total. Trim the bases off the apple shells and sit them flat on a baking tray.

Brush the insides of the apples with softened butter, then sprinkle in a little caster sugar and swirl to coat evenly. Put the apple shells in the fridge while you get on with the filling.

Put the 180g apple flesh in a saucepan with 20g caster sugar and cook over a medium heat until completely softened. Stir in the cornflour and cook, stirring rapidly, for a few minutes, then take off the heat, blend smooth and leave to cool.

Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy, then add the remaining sugar bit by bit and whisk again to medium-stiff peaks. Fold the whisked egg whites into the cooled apple puree, until fully combined and smooth.