Lemon curd mousse with griddled apricots, crushed meringues and strawberries

Desserts —
Lemon Curd Mousse

Ingredients

  • 1 whole egg
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 140g caster sugar
  • 2 lemons
  • 600ml double cream
  • 2 leaf gelatine (optional)
  • 150g lemon curd (Homemade or shop bought)
  • 4 apricots
  • A handful of strawberries
  • A couple of meringues (Homemade or shop bought)
  • Icing sugar

Method

  1. Put your caster sugar into a small saucepan with just enough water to cover it and heat to soft ball stage: 112-115c.
  2. If you don’t have a thermometer you can do a visual test to achieve soft ball and there are plenty of videos online to show you how to do this.
  3. While the sugar is cooking, put your egg and egg yolks into the bowl of a mixer with a whisk attachment. Start to whisk and when the sugar reaches temperature, carefully pour down the side of your mixing bowl into the eggs. Turn up to high speed and mix until cool. This will cook the eggs and turn the mix into a nice, light sabayon.
  4. Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water until they are soft. (If you don’t want to use them you don’t have to, but the finished dessert holds better at a softer texture for longer when you are plating it.)
  5. Whilst the eggs are mixing and cooling, zest the lemons with a fine grater, then squeeze out the juice removing any pips. Heat the juice and dissolve the gelatine into it, add this to the egg mix as it whisks.
  6. Mix the zest into the cream and whip up to soft peaks.
  7. Once the eggs are cool, fold into the cream and then swirl through with the lemon curd.
  8. Line a mould with clingfilm. I used a terrine mould, but you could use a loaf tin or even individual pudding moulds. I grease my mould and then using a double layer of cling film line it and smooth out any air pockets.
  9. Fill your mould with the lemon mousse and then freeze until fully firm.

To serve: Heat the hotplate of your ESSE and lightly oil. Cut the apricots (you could use peaches or pineapple) into wedges.

Place them side down onto hot plate and griddle so that they are lightly caramelised. As you do this, sieve some icing sugar onto them so that it caramelises.

Slice the frozen terrine into slices with a hot knife. Place a slice in the centre of a plate and decorate with meringue pieces, caramelised apricots and fresh strawberry slices.

Recipe by Dominique Ashford

Share — Twitter IconFacebook IconPinterest IconInstagram Icon