Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Lemon Mousse

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Dessert, to me, means chocolate. Mousse definitely means chocolate.

But lemon is a close second. And this spring, I’ve been craving lemon. (Why? Who knows. Maybe because the working title of the manuscript I just turned in, the 4th Food Lovers’ Village Mystery, is DEATH ON A SOUR NOTE. Or maybe I’m just striking a sour note and the title reflects that. A mousse-or-egg deal.)

This recipe comes from the Williams-Sonoma blog, one of my go-tos for seasonal recipes that are well-written, well-tested, and well, yummy. It's the perfect combination of sweet and tart, and while I love it on these late spring days, it’s perfect all year round. Of course, so is chocolate. One of each, maybe?

Lemon Mousse

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) unflavored powdered gelatin

1 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large Meyer lemons)

4 egg yolks

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

fresh berries for garnish, optional 












Pour 1/4 cup water into a saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Let stand until the gelatin softens and swells, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the granulated sugar, salt, lemon zest and juice, and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and the gelatin melts completely, 6 to 8 minutes. Do not boil. Set the saucepan in an ice bath until the mixture is cool to the touch. Remove the pan from the ice bath and let sit at room temperature.

In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream and confectioners' sugar on medium speed until soft peaks form, 4 to 6 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the lemon mixture until smooth. Do not overmix, or the mixture will lose its light airiness—a few bubbles are fine.

Spoon the mousse into 6 to 8 custard cups. Refrigerate the mousse until chilled, 2 to 3 hours. Remove from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh berries if you’d like.

Serves 6 to 8.



From the cover of GUILTY AS CINNAMON: 

Murder heats up Seattle’s Pike Place Market in the next Spice Shop mystery from the national bestselling author of Assault and Pepper.

Pepper Reece knows that fiery flavors are the spice of life. But when a customer dies of a chili overdose, she finds herself in hot pursuit of a murderer…




Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. The president of Sisters in Crime, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat Ruff, a cover model and avid bird-watcher.

Swing by my website  and join the mailing list for my seasonal newsletter. And join me on Facebookwhere I often share news of new books and giveaways from my cozy writer friends.

11 comments:

  1. I am a big chocolate fan too! But I have to say the Lemon Mousse looks good. Thank you for the recipe.

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  2. This looks amazing...but so do all your recipes :)

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  3. I can taste the lemon and feel the smooth texture.
    Why not have some dark chocolate for dessert after dessert?!

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  4. Yes -- garnish with a square of dark chocolate, or a chocolate pirouline. Next time!

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  5. Thank you for sharing the recipe Leslie. Lemon is definitely one of my favorite flavors (after chocolate of course).

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    1. And as Libby points out, they go together nicely!
      Glad you like the recipe.

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  6. Lemon is a close second to chocolate for a dessert flavor. Thanks!

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    1. Hmm. We're not taking a poll, but it's clear lemon and chocolate are both VERY popular!
      (Thanks, Elaine)

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