It smells of burnt almonds in the Michelin-starred kitchen of the Ammolite restaurant. They are an important ingredient in the crowning conclusion to the “Black Forest Menu”: soufflé with stewed plums. Served hot.“The dessert suits the time of year perfectly”, says pâtissier Jan Niklas Blase. The Oldenburg native learnt to cook in the Traube Tonbach and has specialised in patisserie while at the Ammolite.

“The soufflé is one of the kings of desserts. Attention must be paid to the temperature during preparation to ensure that the light egg mixture rises and does not collapse again before it is served. Then, of course, you have to focus on how long to cook it and its position in the oven.”

He often works on ideas for new creations over many weeks before he tries them out. “I consider which components could go together and how I can build them into a dessert”, explains the 28-year-old. This way, you don’t need to re-invent the wheel every time.

“What is important is that as many taste receptors are triggered as possible. The guests enjoy flavour combinations.”

Therefore, it’s important to bring together sweet, sour, bitter, salty and fruity tastes, says Blase, in such a way that they develop the flavour as much as possible. Different temperatures, such as ice cream or sorbet with something hot, are also particularly appealing.