Title: Lemon Charlottes and Lemon Curd
Ingredients:
- 4 candied lemon peel
- 3 lemons
- 2 sugar
- 4 water
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 sugar
- 1/2 lemon juice
- 1/8 salt
- 1 1/4 ladyfingers
- 42
Instructions:
1. This step (candied lemon peel and syrup) can be prepared up to 3 days ahead.
2. To make your candied lemon peel, line any small baking sheet with aluminium foi.
3. Using your vegetable peeler, remove the peel from your lemons in long strips, making sure you DO NOT remove the white portion as well, only the yellow.
4. Place the peel in a small saucepan, and just cover the peel with cold water.
5. Bring to a boil, then drain.
6. Repeating blanching process 2 more times in the same manner as stated above.
7. Take your lemon peel, and cut into 1/8 inch wide strips.
8. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water to a boil, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves.
9. Boil gently for 5 mins, and then add lemon peel.
10. Simmer until peel is translucent (this will take approx 15 mins).
11. Using a slotted spoon (DO NOT THROW AWAY THE SYRUP), transfer your peel to aluminum covered pan and sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the peels and toss to coat completely.
12. Allow these to dry at room temp for 2 hours.
13. Transfer peels to an airtight container and store at room temperature.
14. Pour the syrup into a bowl, cover and chill.
15. For your Lemon Curd.
16. This step should be done the day before.
17. In the top portion of a double boiler over barely simmering water (ie: the water SHOULD NOT touch the top)Whisk your egg yolks, whole eggs, sugar, lemon juice and salt to blend.
18. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens and instant-read thermometer reads 160F (this should take approximately 6 mins).
19. Now transfer mixture to a glass bowl, wrap in plastic wrap so that the plastic is touching the surface of the mixture, and refrigerate overnight.
20. Take a portion (NOT ALL) of your candied lemon peel and finely chop enough to measure 1/4 cup.
21. Place this in a small bowl and mix in 1/2 cup of lemon curd.
22. Cover and chill.
23. Beat whipping cream in a large bowl until speaks form.
24. Fold 1 cup of whipped cream into the remaining lemon curd, cover and chill mixture.
25. Cover remaining whipped cream and chill.
26. Now, line six 3/4-cup souffle dishes (2 inches in dia with 1 1/2 inch-high sides) with plastic wrap, allowing 3 inch overhang.
27. Take your ladyfingers and cut them into 2 inch lengths, keeping the ends for later.
28. Stand 7 ladyfinger pieces upright, side by side, rounded side out, around the inside rim of each souffle dish.
29. Place reserved end pices of ladyfingers in the bottom of each souffle dish, making sure to cover completely.
30. Take out your chilled syrup, and brush ladyfingers lightly with this syrup.
31. Spoon 1/4 cup lemon/whipped cream mixture into the center of each dish, and then genty spread a heaping tablespoon of lemon curd/peel mixture over the top of each.
32. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, and up to 1 day ahead.
33. Now that they have chilled for a length of time, remove the charlottes from the souffle dishes by using the plastic wrap to lift up.
34. Carefully remove the plastic wrap.
35. Place charlottes on plates.
36. Spoon reserved whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with medium star tip(or be creative and use any kind of bag you can cut the tip off of for a less fancy but workable approach!) and pipe whipped cream rosette atop each charlotte.
37. Sprinkle each with candied lemon and serve immediately.