Your guests won't believe you made these special occasion soufflés – they are restaurant-worthy

Not a recipe to attempt every day, but for a special occasion you can’t beat a towering, custardy soufflé. It's a wonderful cherry recipe with the added sweetness of this seasonal fruit. All the components can be prepared in advance, so making the soufflés to order really isn’t a trial.

Ingredients (makes 6)

• For the soufflés:
  • ⅔ cup whole milk
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ tbsp cornstarch
  • 14 oz fresh cherries, pitted
  • 1 vanilla bean, split (or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste)
  • 1 ½ tbsp amaretto (optional)
  • Soft butter and granulated sugar (for preparing the ramekins)
  • 2 large egg whites
• For the sauce:
  • 5 oz fresh cherries, pitted
  • 7 oz fresh raspberries
  • 2 ½ tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

The Homes & Gardens method

• Make the pastry cream base (can be made up to 3 days ahead):
  In a saucepan, heat the milk and cream until almost boiling. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 3 tbsp sugar (we recommend the KitchenAid cordless hand mixer from Amazon). Sift in the flour and cornstarch, and whisk until smooth. Add a splash of the hot milk mixture while whisking constantly, then gradually whisk in the rest. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until thick and smooth (3–4 minutes). Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin, then allow to cool and refrigerate.
• Prepare the cherry purée:
  In a saucepan, combine the cherries, ¼ cup sugar, and the vanilla bean. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean, scraping the seeds back into the pan. Purée the mixture with an immersion blender (try the Braun Multiquick Hand Blender from Amazon, which our testers rated the best immersion blender. Let cool, then fold into the pastry cream with the amaretto, if using.
• Make the raspberry-cherry sauce:
  Blend the cherries, raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice until smooth. Chill until ready to serve.
• Prepare the ramekins:
  Preheat the oven to 375°F and place a baking sheet on the middle rack. Brush four 6-oz ramekins (try these Artena ramekins from Amazon) with softened butter, brushing upward along the sides. Coat with granulated sugar, tapping out the excess. Chill briefly to set the butter.
• Make the soufflé batter:
  In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining ¼ cup sugar, whisking until glossy and firm. Stir 1 tbsp of the meringue into the pastry cream to loosen, then gently fold in the rest. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins until about ¾ full. Tap each ramekin to settle the mixture, then run your thumb around the rim to help them rise evenly.
• Bake and serve:
  Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Place the ramekins on the baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, until well risen and lightly golden. Serve immediately, pouring the sauce into each soufflé as it’s eaten.

Looking for more impressive desserts? Try our showstopping cherry gateau, which looks professional but is deceptively easy to make.