Orange-Meyer Lemon Mousse

I love a good dessert and if I had my way it would always involve fruit forward flavors. There isn’t a better time of year to make something with citrus than right now. When I go grocery shopping I always buy a big bag of organic lemons, I use them in salad dressings, smoothies, roasted with chicken, tea and gin and tonics (obviously). Admittedly bright citrus flavors are so uplifting on grey days I find myself craving them.

My good friend Deb gifted my family a jar of delicious homemade lemon curd over the holidays. We devoured it and it had me wanting more. I initially made this mousse with just fresh orange juice and it was good but lacked that tartness to offset the sweet. Round two I added Meyer lemons and my taste testers (my boys) said much better. Whenever I eat a creamy mousse it always makes me nostalgic for my childhood and my grandma’s desserts. She always made some creamy, fruity and jello(ie) type of dessert for just about any occasion. This recipe harks back to those days.

I have a few more citrus ventures I’d like to dive into. I saw a recipe for Vin d’Orange I’ve been wanting to try, I was able to buy some sour oranges (Seville) which I read were traditional in the making. If its anything like Lillet I know I’m going to love it. Seems like the perfect thing to sip with friends. Speaking of friends I seriously can not wait to do a proper hangout with friends and family again. I find myself day dreaming about dinner parties, going out to breakfast, fireside drinks and vaccines (ha)!

Hope everyone is easing into February. It seems like time is flying by and pretty soon this month will be a blip on the radar. Be well.

Lx

Orange-Meyer Lemon Mousse

Ingredients  

4 large egg yolks, plus 1 large whole egg

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup fresh orange juice  

2/3 cup fresh Meyer lemon (2 lemons)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup heavy cream, chilled  

1 lemon, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half moons

1 navel orange, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half moons

Preparation  

Make citrus curd. Prepare an ice water bath; set aside. Cook egg yolks, egg, 3/4 cup sugar, and juices in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat.  

Whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Set pan in ice water bath; whisk until cool, about 5 minutes. Pass curd through sieve into a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until set, 30 to 45 minutes. Whisk cream and 2 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form; refrigerate.  

Whisk one third of whipped cream into curd. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream. Divide among serving bowls; refridgerate until ready to serve. Garnish with citrus.