Lemon souffle

Grease the ramekins with melted butter, add a little sugar, spin to coat, dump out the excess; chill in the fridge.

Zest the lemons without the white part, then halve and juice them.

Separate the eggs, yolks in one bowl and whites in a spotlessly clean bowl.

Add sugar to the egg yolks. Preheat the oven.

Whisk heavy cream, flour and cornstarch to a smooth paste.

Heat the whole milk until just before boiling; add it to the paste a little at a time, whisking smooth after each addition.

Cook the mixture over gentle heat, stirring constantly, until thickened; take off the heat.

Whisk in the lemon juice and zest a little at a time.

Mix the sugar and yolks with a wooden spoon, add to the saucepan, and return to the heat, stirring, until the first sign of bubbles; take off the heat.

If the custard is lumpy, smooth it with an electric mixer.

Whip the egg whites with clean whisks to firm peaks.

Whisk some of the whites vigorously into the thickened custard to loosen it.

Fold in the remaining whites gently, a portion at a time, until no white streaks remain and the mixture is pale yellow.

Fill the ramekins to the brim, level off, and run a thumb around the rim to help a level rise.

Bake in the middle of the preheated oven without opening the door; the recipe says 14 minutes, these went almost 17 and were still rising and not yet browned.

Serve at once; they sink within minutes of leaving the oven.