Lemon Mousse
I love all things lemon, especially lemon curd. But it is pretty intense on its own, so I often lighten it up with whipped cream to make an easy mousse. It goes especially well with gingersnaps on the side.
I love all things lemon, especially lemon curd. But it is pretty intense on its own, so I often lighten it up with whipped cream to make an easy mousse. It goes especially well with gingersnaps on the side.
- Carbohydrate 14.6472 g
- Cholesterol 5034.72 mg
- Fat 108.2832 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 64.7088 g
- Saturated Fat 38.96808 g
- Serving Size 1 1 - 4 serving (408g)
- Sodium 195.84 mg
- Sugar 14.6472 g
- Trans Fat 4.27175999999999 g
- Calories 1293 calories
Step-by-step
- In a heat-proof bowl that will fit in the inner pot, beat the sugar and butter with a hand mixer until the sugar has mostly dissolved and the mixture is light colored and fluffy.
- Add the egg yolks and beat until combined.
- Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt, and beat to combine. The mixture will appear grainy.
- Cover the bowl with aluminum foil.
- Add 1 cup of water to the inner pot.
- Place a trivet with handles in the pot and then place the bowl on top.
- Lock the lid into place.
- Select Pressure Cook or Manual, and adjust the pressure to High and the time to 10 minutes.
- After cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.
- Unlock the lid.
- Carefully remove the bowl, and remove and discard the foil. The mixture will appear clumpy and curdled.
- Whisk the curd mixture until smooth.
- Place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl and pour the curd through it, pressing down with a flexible spatula to pass the curd through, leaving the zest and any curdled egg bits behind (discard those).
- Cover with plastic wrap, pushing the wrap down on top of the curd to keep a skin from forming.
- Refrigerate until cooled, about 2 hours.
- When the curd is cooled, whip the cream until medium-firm peaks form.
- Add about a third of the whipped cream to the curd and fold it in gently.
- Repeat with another third of whipped cream, then finish with the last third.
- Spoon the mousse into dessert dishes and serve immediately, or refrigerate, covered, up to overnight.
Why does the mixture look completely curdled when you pull the bowl from the electric pressure cooker? Egg yolks coagulate rapidly when exposed to direct heat, but enclosing the lemon base inside a covered, heat-proof bowl set on a trivet regulates the ambient steam to cook the yolks gently without scrambling them. Whisking the hot curd vigorously transforms that seemingly ruined, clumpy mass back into a smooth emulsion, and pressing it through a fine-mesh strainer catches stray pieces of zest and overcooked egg proteins that would otherwise ruin the velvety texture.
Standard metal mixing bowls conduct heat efficiently inside a six-quart multicooker, provided the diameter leaves at least a half-inch clearance around the sides for steam circulation. Room temperature butter incorporates evenly into the sugar without requiring a preliminary creaming phase on the countertop. Pressing plastic wrap directly against the surface of the strained curd prevents a rubbery skin from forming during the mandatory two-hour refrigeration window. Folding chilled lemon curd into heavy cream whipped to medium-firm peaks requires a delicate hand to preserve trapped air pockets.
Yielding just two portions, this formulation adapts easily if scaling quantities up for a larger group, though batch cooking requires dividing the base into multiple bowls to maintain even heat penetration.
