The woman was dressed for the season in a light cotton shift patterned with oversize daisies. Her shoes matched the petals and her purse, which was black-and-yellow striped, hung over her shoulder, buzzing the flowers like a lazy bumblebee.

—David Sedaris, Our Perfect Summer

Well now. July ran right on by me. Or, through me.

This was my first month as Chief Resident, and it also happened to be a month within which my fellowship applications were due and I took one of our mini/topical board exams. Nooooo pressure. The “work” section of my life has, therefore, been disproportionately represented in attention and effort.
However, I walked past a thrift store in my neighborhood earlier this month and saw two perfect Nick and Nora cocktail glasses that sparked my fancy.
Around that same time, I saw Paris’ post about frozen berry soufflés and was enchanted. The glasses came home with me. So while I was studying derm surgery and writing my personal statement and putting out scheduling fires and having what seems like an infinite number of meetings, I was also daydreaming about ice creams.
(Additionally contributing to these dreams was the addiction Maria and I have developed to Morgenstern’s as a study break… the Hojicha Hazelnut is really an all-timer.)

These fluffy little treats are Peach Melba flavored. Peaches are roasted with a pat of Kerrygold and a sprinkle of salt, then blended until smooth into a purée that is pure summer. Lashings of black raspberry jam bump up the fruity flavor even further. The “soufflé” itself is really a semifreddo. It features an egg-yolk based sauce similar to a zabaglione, only with elderflower liqueur, with a healthy helping of softly whipped cream gently incorporated with the fruits.
It is spooned into glasses made taller with a collar of acetate or parchment paper (or, like 3/4 of my batch, seeing as I only possess the two Nick and Nora’s, old yogurt cups) , then frozen. It freezes very quickly, which unfortunately means it melts just as quickly, so when serving, whip your cream for garnishing before you even think about taking them out of the freezer, and then move quickly!

These would be, in my opinion, even lovelier garnished with fresh raspberries, but in light of the current cyclospora outbreak, I’m avoiding excesses of raw berries. Maraschino cherries, which are my guilty pleasure, have no such issues. Garnish how you see fit. (A little sprig of mint would fit perfectly, too.)

Peach Melba Frozen Soufflé
makes 6 small soufflés
Adapted from Paris Starm

300 grams peaches, approximately 2 medium
2 teaspoons salted butter
1 tablespoon elderflower liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
100 grams (1/2 cup) sugar, caster or granulated sugar pulsed in food processor for 15 seconds
130 grams (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon) heavy cream
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
Heavy cream, to serve
6 yogurt cups or small cocktail coupes

directions:
Use acetate or parchment paper to make a collar to wrap around your glasses if you want the dramatic soufflé appearance.
Skin your peaches, either by blanching or peeling, then chop into small pieces.
Place into a pan with the butter and cook, gently, until the butter is browned and the peaches are starting to caramelize.
Allow to cool, then process in a food processor until smooth.
Pass through a strainer to remove fiber and set aside.
Add the eggs and sugar into the bowl and whisk well to combine.
Set the bowl over a bain-marie and whisk constantly while the eggs gently heat to 160 degrees F.
Remove from heat and whisk rapidly until you reach ribbon stage, about 10 minutes (your arm will be tired).
In a separate bowl, add whipping cream and whip until soft peaks.
Gently fold in the peach purée and 2 tablespoons of raspberry jam into the cream.
Use the remaining raspberry jam to make swirls on the sides of the glasses.
Fold the cream very gently into the egg mixture, then spoon into prepared glasses and place in freezer to set for at least 5 hours.
Allow to warm for 3-5 minutes prior to serving.
Serve with extra whipped cream.