Lemon Mousse

This is a light ending to a Summer meal. We like the pleasant lemony flavor, and it only has 4 ingredients, and uses plenty of good, fresh eggs.  It is actually better made a day ahead. 

It doesn’t hold well, so to make it ahead, which I recommend, make the custard and chill it and then, on serving day whip the cream and add it to the mixture an hour or two ahead of time. I have chilled it in the freezer between adding the cream and serving. The leftovers can be frozen. Don’t skip straining the custard before chilling it.  I found this recipe in a Martha Stewart cookbook, and fiddled with it until it worked well for us.

Lemon Mousse

6 servings Yield: 3 cups

4 Large Eggs

2/3 Cup Sugar

2/3 Cup Lemon Juice -- (3 large lemons) or bottled lemon juice

1 Cup Heavy Cream

Lemon Zest (optional)

• Stir together eggs, sugar and juice in a medium saucepan, add zest if desired. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Raise heat to medium; continue to cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, (170°), about 5 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing with a flexible spatula, into a metal bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface; refrigerate until well chilled, 1-2 hours. I prefer overnight.

• Later, or the next day, using an electric mixer, beat cream in a large well-chilled bowl, whipping the cream until moderately stiff.  Blend a little of the whipped cream into the lemon mixture to lighten it, then fold the whipped cream mixture gently into lemon mixture with flexible spatula. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, before spooning into dessert cups.

Cost April 2010: $1.56 or 26¢ per serving with bottled lemon juice and farm eggs.

Lemon curd makes about 1 1/2 cups. Whole recipe makes about 3 cups.

Per Serving(: 279 Calories; 18g Fat (56.6% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 26g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 196mg Cholesterol; 62mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 3 Fat; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.