Chilled lemon soufflé

Method

1. Take a 24cm length of baking paper and fold in 3, then tie it around a 1 litre straight-sided soufflé dish, so that the paper extends 2-4cm above the top. Set aside.
2. Soak the gelatine leaves in plenty of cold water and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, put the lemon zest and juice, egg yolks and sugar into a large heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, then turn off the heat. Place the bowl over the pan of hot water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Using an electric hand whisk, whisk the lemon mixture for about 5 minutes, until thickened and pale in colour.
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4. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of water in a small pan, so it just covers the base. When hot, squeeze the excess water from the soaked gelatine, drop the leaves into the pan and immediately remove the pan from the heat. Stir until dissolved, then whisk into the thickened lemon mixture. Remove the bowl from the pan and set aside to cool completely.
5. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. In another clean bowl, whisk the whipping cream until softly thickened (be careful not to beat the cream to stiff peaks or it will be too thick to fold into the soufflé). Fold the whipped cream into the lemon mixture until no traces of white are left, then fold in the egg white, again until no traces of white are left. Pour into the prepared dish and chill for at least 4 hours or until set.
6. To serve, carefully remove the string and paper collar from around the soufflé (sliding a wet knife between the paper and soufflé makes this easier).