Quick Lemon Mousse

Quick Lemon Mousse - the mere mention of it makes my mouth water. Wow is this good stuff! I first saw the recipe featured during a cooking segment with Lucinda Scala Quinn on Martha's show a couple of weeks ago. It also appears in the May 2010 issue of Everyday Food.

Not only is this recipe incredibly easy to make, but it's pretty flexible too - the directions say you can vary the amount of fresh lemon juice, as well as the amount of unflavored gelatin used, depending on how far in advance you'd like to prepare it. Additionally, I found the amount of sugar in the recipe is also adjustable.

I made my lemon mouse using farm fresh raw cream given to me by a friend - what a treat that was! I garnished the mousse with wild black raspberries and candied lemon slices. If you love lemon, you'll really want to give this recipe a try!

Check out the difference between the store bought, ultra pasteurized cream on the left, and the farm fresh raw cream on the right. Sorry for the poor lighting - the photo was taken at night, but you can still see the amazing color difference. Not only is there a huge difference in color, if you look closely you can see the farm fresh raw cream is much creamier in texture.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• lemon squeezer https://amzn.to/2LC9Uc5

• unflavored gelatin https://amzn.to/2E3DVvi

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Quick Lemon Mousse

Makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained

• 1/4 cup cold water

• 1 packet (or 2 1/4 teaspoons) unflavored powdered gelatin

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (or more if needed)

• pinch fine salt

• 1 cup cold heavy cream

• fresh berries and candied lemon slices for garnish

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and water; sprinkle gelatin on top and let sit until softened, about 2 minutes.

2. Fill a medium bowl with ice water; set aside until needed

3. In a small saucepan, combine gelatin mixture, sugar, and salt over medium heat; stir until gelatin and sugar dissolve, about 4 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and cool in ice bath; stirring occasionally until mixture reaches room temp, about 1 minute.

5. In a large bowl, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.

6. Add cooled gelatin mixture and continue to whip until it thickens.

7. Divide among dessert dishes and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes, or chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Garnish and serve.

Note

• This recipe can be made in advance by reducing the gelatin to 1 1/2 teaspoons; chill in the fridge for 1 1/2 hours. Truth be known, I sampled some leftover mousse made with the full amount of gelatin that had been refrigerated for several hours - it was a tad on the firm side, but still quite edible and delicious.

adapted from Everyday Food

Candied Lemon Slices

Today I’m going to show you how to make candied lemon slices which make a perfect garnish for so many things.

Start by thinly slicing a lemon. You can do this by eye, but it really works best if you slice the lemons very thinly and very evenly. A mandolin is the perfect kitchen tool, but here’s what you can do if you don’t have a mandolin…

Place a lemon, cut side down, between two wooden skewers, then rest your knife across the skewers as shown, and carefully cut the lemon into thin slices.

Okay, now it's time to blanch the lemon slices in boiling water for 5 minutes. This softens the rind and reduces bitterness; drain and reserve. In the same saucepan, add fresh water and sugar (recipe below). Stir to dissolve sugar; add the lemon slices and bring to a slow boil. Reduce to a simmer; simmer for 1 hour.

Using a nonstick cooling rack (or a regular rack treated with nonstick spray), place the individual lemon slices in a single layer to dry for 24 hours; being sure they don’t touch. Note - these never really dry; they stay sticky, but they will firm up after 24 hours. Store in an airtight container separated with wax paper.

Chewy, sweet, and oh so pretty - I used these candied lemon slices to garnish a quick and easy Lemon Mousse.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• nonstick cooling rack https://amzn.to/3fpou6M

• mandolin slicer https://amzn.to/3sRlNxQ

• santoku https://amzn.to/3DxDck2

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Candied Lemon Slices

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lemon, thinly sliced

• 2 cups water to blanch lemon slices

• 1 cup water

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Directions

1. Thinly slice lemon.

2. Blanch in 2 cups boiling water for 5 minutes; drain.

3. In the same saucepan, stir together 1 cup water and 1 1/2 cups sugar; stir to dissolve sugar.

4. Add blanched lemon slices and heat until the mixture starts to boil slightly.

5. Reduce to simmer; simmer uncovered for 1 hour.

6. Remove from heat.

7. Use a nonstick cooling rack (or regular rack treated with nonstick spray) and place individual lemon slices in a single layer to dry for up to 24 hours.

8. Store in an airtight container separated with wax paper.

Note

• The lemon infused sugar syrup can also be used to make sorbet, ice tea, etc.