1/2 pound guava paste
1/2 cup guava nectar
1 Tbsp cachaça or light rum (optional)
4 egg whites, at room temperature
Butter to grease the baking dish
Sugar to dust the baking dish
Preheat oven to 400F.
In a small saucepan, melt guava paste with guava nectar (and optional rum) over low heat, stirring to eliminate big lumps. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth –- a few bits add character to the soufflé. Add a little water as necessary to obtain a thick puree. Cool.
Grease a 6 x 10 x 2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with butter and dust lightly with sugar. Beat the whites to stiff peaks and fold in the cooled guava puree. Mound the mixture into the dish and bake until puffed and just beginning to color on the tips of the soufflé. Serve hot with cool custard sauce (recipe follows).
Custard sauce
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup hot milk
1 tsp vanilla
Have ready a small metal bowl and a strainer. Put the vanilla in the bowl. Beat the yolks and sugar with a wire whisk in a small saucepan until smooth. Add the hot milk, stirring well and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the custard begins to thicken and coats the spoon, being careful not to boil. Pour the custard through the strainer into the bowl, and stir. Cool and refrigerate.