The Salzburg Nockerl is a traditional dessert in Austria, namely Salzburg, of course, that pays homage to the three snow covered hills that surround Salzburg: Festungsberg, Mönchsberg, and Kapuzinerberg. And yes, I had to look the names up. Thanks Wikipedia!
Three light and airy soufflés are placed in a shallow dish, and sometimes on top of a berry jam or sweet caramelized cream. Placed in a very hot oven, the three soufflés bake quickly to a golden brown. Once removed they are quickly dusted with powdered sugar (to represent the snow capped mountains) and served right away.
For the Oklahoma version, most notably the Oklahoma summer version, we’re using one of my favorite Oklahoma fruits: the Stratford (or Porter) peach. Roasted to caramely goodness thanks to copious amounts of ground rosemary sugar, the peaches are topped off with the traditional nockerl soufflé.
More than filling for one person, each nockerl can be split between two people, if you’re one of those people who splits desserts, that is.
Ingredients
- 3 medium-sized Oklahoma peaches
- 1 cup turbinado sugar (raw sugar)
- 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary, stemmed
- 2-3 tablespoons softened butter
- 7 large egg whites, room temp
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sifted flour
Preparation
In a blender, add the crunchy, raw sugar along with the stemmed, fresh rosemary. Grind until the rosemary has combined with the sugar. Tip the rosemary sugar out into a bowl and set aside.
Preheat your convection oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In two small separate au gratin dishes, or you may use one large oven proof dish, rub the inside bottom and sides with the softened butter. Sprinkle the inside liberally with the ground rosemary sugar. Cut the peaches in half vertically around the center and remove the pit. Place each half in the rosemary sugar and coat generously. Place three halves, open side up, into each of the buttered dishes and set aside for 15 minutes. The idea here is to allow the rosemary sugar to draw out the natural juices from the peaches and to also flavor the peach. Place the dishes in the hot oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and caramelized.
While the peaches are roasting, place the egg whites in a clean (fat free) mixing bowl. Remember, when whipping egg whites there cannot be a speck of fat, and that includes egg yolks or your egg whites will not whip up properly. Begin whipping the egg whites to soft peaks, almost like a cloud. While still whipping sprinkle in the 1 cup of granulated sugar a little at a time. Once all of the sugar has been added and your meringue is now at the stiff peak stage, it is time to add the flavor!
In a separate bowl add the egg yolks, lemon zest, and vanilla together; mix until smooth. Pour into your meringue and gently fold in. Once all is added, sprinkle in the flour, again folding in gently. Remove the caramelized peach dishes from the oven. Using a rubber spatula, place three large mounds of the soufflé on top of the roasted peaches. Sprinkle the top with more of the rosemary sugar and place the dishes back into the oven. Bake approximately 8 minutes or until a golden brown. Once the soufflés are tall and golden, remove each dish from the oven. Serve immediately. Remember this is basically a soufflé so the nockerl will “fall” as it cools.
