Well helllloooooo??!!! It as been a few wild and crazy AF months since I posted anything...wild and crazy for everyone no doubt. And to celebrate my illustrious return to this site I am giving a dessert that has no name other than Lemon something awesome.
This recipe is a result of f--king up so utterly so very many times, and every time coming up with the same thing, that while delicious is not at all what I was trying to accomplish. What you really should be reading here is a recipe for lemon pots de creme, but that is not what this is...and that is because I guess I don't know how to make lemon pots de creme. I only know how to make this.
Wtf is pot de creme?
Pot de creme literally translates from French to pot of cream (this is my favorite chocolate pots de creme). Most people know it as a kind of French version of its American bestie pudding. Thinner than a custard, richer than a pudding.
So what is this recipe?
I don't actually know. I have made chocolate and espresso pots de creme before and the texture is much silkier when cooked and poured into serving dishes. This was not, it was so much heavier, much more like a cooked pudding. I suppose this could be called a lemon pudding, but I really wasn't going for pudding. So Lemon Something Awesome it is.
Whatever the hell you want to call it, it is f'ing delicious. It is smooth and creamy and perfectly tart/sweet balanced. What it isn't is super heavy and overly rich...you can will want to eat the entire dish, not just a few bites.
½cuplemon juiceI was lucky enough to find Meyer lemons this week, use those if you can find them
Instructions
Heat half-and-half in your best saucepan. Heat it just to barely boiling, do not boil if you can help it. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk well until creamy, about two mins.
When the half and half is near boiling, remove from heat and SLOWLY whisk some (about a half cup or so) of half-and-half into egg yolk mixture, then add all the half-and-half whisk togehter. Pour back into saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until custard is thick, about maybe four mins - whatever you do, don't boil it. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. Spoon custard into individual dishes. Cover with plastic wrap, directly onto the top of the custard (this prevents a gross skin from forming) and refrigerate for at least four hours.
Notes
You can make these a day or two or three ahead and keep covered in fridge.
Sorry, Katie, but this was definitely NOT awesome. A waste of eggs and half & half. All you could taste was the cornstarch. 3 TABLESPOONS??? I cooked it and cooked it (never boiling), and it just never thickened. It was extremely runny with a talcum powder mouthfeel.
Colleen I am sorry you didn't like this. I just made it again this weekend with the three tablespoons of corn starch and did not have a problem with taste or thickness, it is definitely not a firm pudding, a bit softer.
Tried to click on the link (the word THIS) to see the recipe for the Chocolate Pots de Creme, and a window gets in the way demanding I have to register first. I’d love to see the recipe but I don’t want to jump thru hoops to get there. And now my chocolate craving reared its hungry head. Is there a way around registering?
Hi Lois! You know, I totally forgot that the NYT Cooking requires you to have a subscription to look at certain recipes (some are free), and this one apparently requires a subscription. I have a subsciption. Check your email 🙂 I sent you the recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
Colleen Deros says
Sorry, Katie, but this was definitely NOT awesome. A waste of eggs and half & half. All you could taste was the cornstarch. 3 TABLESPOONS??? I cooked it and cooked it (never boiling), and it just never thickened. It was extremely runny with a talcum powder mouthfeel.
kwalsh0722 says
Colleen I am sorry you didn't like this. I just made it again this weekend with the three tablespoons of corn starch and did not have a problem with taste or thickness, it is definitely not a firm pudding, a bit softer.
Lois says
Tried to click on the link (the word THIS) to see the recipe for the Chocolate Pots de Creme, and a window gets in the way demanding I have to register first. I’d love to see the recipe but I don’t want to jump thru hoops to get there. And now my chocolate craving reared its hungry head. Is there a way around registering?
kwalsh0722 says
Hi Lois! You know, I totally forgot that the NYT Cooking requires you to have a subscription to look at certain recipes (some are free), and this one apparently requires a subscription. I have a subsciption. Check your email 🙂 I sent you the recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
Michael says
I made this recipe exactly as directed and it came out beautifully! We are serving it as a desert for a charity dinner party.....it was that good. 👍
kwalsh0722 says
Oh that makes me so happy! I am glad you liked it!
Vandy says
Can this be frozen?
I want to use it in a layered cake that I plan on freezing and just wonder how it will fare
Katie Beck says
Hi Vandy! Unfortunately I would not freeze this. It will most likely split into a mess.