Fresh Lemon Mousse

  4.6 – 134 reviews  • Fruit
Level: Easy
Total: 1 hr 27 min
Prep: 15 min
Inactive: 1 hr
Cook: 12 min
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  1. 3 extra-large whole eggs
  2. 3 extra-large eggs, separated
  3. 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  4. 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
  5. 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
  6. Kosher salt
  7. 1 cup heavy cream
  8. 1/2 cup good bottled lemon curd, at room temperature
  9. Sweetened Whipped Cream, recipe follows
  10. Sliced lemon, for garnish
  11. 1 cup cold heavy cream
  12. 1 tablespoon sugar
  13. 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. In a large heat-proof bowl, whisk together the 3 whole eggs, 3 egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, the lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 10 to 12 minutes until the mixture is thick like pudding. (I change to a whisk when the mixture starts to get thick.) Take off the heat and set aside for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, until completely chilled.
  2. Place half the egg whites and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue to beat until the whites are stiff and shiny. Carefully fold the beaten whites into the cold lemon mixture with a rubber spatula. Place the cream in the same bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (no need to clean the bowl) and beat on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the lemon mixture. Fold in the lemon curd, and pour into a 7-inch-diameter, 3-inch-deep souffle dish. Decorate with sweetened whipped cream and lemon slices that have been cut into quarters. Chill and serve cold.
  3. Place the cream, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium and then high speed until the cream just forms still peaks. Spoon the whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 of 6 servings
Calories 562
Total Fat 37 g
Saturated Fat 22 g
Carbohydrates 50 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugar 48 g
Protein 10 g
Cholesterol 319 mg
Sodium 530 mg

Reviews

Michael Morgan
Delicious and so fresh tasting, especially with homemade lemon curd. A rave review from every guest I’ve served this to!
April Willis
I only make this with Ina’s recipe for lemon curd, her instructions include sieving the curd immediately after cooking to remove the lemon zest. Ina’s curd recipe is perfection!! And, I always have it on hand, sealed in the frig.
One viewer mentioned that sieving removed lumpy cooked eggs. Stirring the lemon curd almost constantly with a medium whisk and cooking it to 170 F as instructed, should eliminate any lumpy cooked eggs.
Brian Giles
Overall…an amazing dessert. I took the advice of other reviewers and strained the warm lemon curd. So glad I did, too, as the seive caught a lot of lumpy cooked eggs and large chunks of lemon zest. I also omitted store bought curd. Final result was amazing without it (Ina is just THAT good). I also served it in individual custard cups. I put a graham cracker crust on the bottom of each cup. I thought it needed a little something crunchy for textural variety.
Abigail Barber
I’ve made this MANY times over the years. Huge hit! My one alteration is I make my own curd. Bottled is terrible. Will ruin the taste. I just double the recipe for the lemon mixture on top of the stove. That is lemon curd, before you add the egg whites and whip cream. Then I have leftover curd that I can mix with plain yogurt or cottage cheese or spread on toast! Yummmm
Kelsey Brown
Can this be made the day before and refrigerated overnight?
Andrea Valdez
YES!!!!!
My only addition was a pinch of cream of tartar in the egg whites and in the whipping cream. THIS IS AMAZING! I agree with Noreen regarding the lemon zest, I wish I had read her suggestion beforehand, but it is still FANTASTIC! I cannot wait to use it at my next “girl’s dinner soiree”!
Stephanie Gonzalez
Delicious recipe! Perfect amount of lemon flavor. Is light, creamy and very tasty. I did find the custard texture a bit grainy from the zest so I ran it through a sieve while it was hot. Be sure to scrape all of this luscious custard from the bottom of the sieve! I used little ramekins to make individual servings.
Tammie Moreno
I haven’t tried the final product yet, but I do find the instructions confusing with the egg whites. I’m going to try using all three. I would not classify this as easy. Anything with lemon juice has to be great. But I would recommend making your own curd. The Stonewall brand I bought has lemon concentrate.
Michael Harrell
It is very fluffy and tasty, but I have lumps. It didn’t seem like the custard was curdled, and I saw them while folding in first whipped creams…any way to get rid of them? I don’t normally do things like this baking type of stuff. ;-P
Robin Acosta
I love this mouse! How long does it last in the fridge? How far ahead of time can I make it? Anyone knows?

 

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