Lemon Lime Mousse

In my humble opinion, refreshingly creamy clouds of this Lemon Lime Mousse are probably one of the best summer dessert ideas I’ve tried recently.

Fluffy and tart with just the right amount of sweetness, this is fast becoming one of my go to desserts. And the fact that unlike many traditional mousse recipes, this one has no gelatin or raw egg whites and yet it still sets to a lovely moussey fluffiness.

To be entirely truthful, I’m on something of a Lemon Lime Mousse binge marathon these days. I seem to make it alarmingly frequently because it is easy to put together and because I adore lemon based desserts.

I’ve used near-equal amounts of lemon juice and lime juice to flavour my Lemon Lime Mousse since these citrus siblings (or cousins maybe?) obviously have pretty much the same flavour profile. The restrained sweetness of the lemon juice pairs very well with the outright tartness of the lime juice and makes for a fairly good combination.

We have a lovely lime tree in our garden so making Lemon Lime Mousse gives me a good excuse to use up some of our fresh limes. Zesting just picked limes is a refreshingly heady experience; the citrusy fragrance that emanates during the process is something else altogether and hard to replicate while zesting store bought limes.

I absolutely love lemon curd and could be more than satisfied just happily eating it with a spoon. The base of this Lemon Lime Mousse consists of an easy and yummy lemon & lime curd which gives it that lusciously creamy pleasant tartness.

I peel off the zest from the lemons and limes with a vegetable peeler, put the flat coils of peeled zest (no need to chop it or anything) and all the ingredients required for making the curd into my blender and then blend, cook, sieve and cool.

I usually make the lemon lime curd one day before putting the mousse finally together as I believe chilling the curd overnight gives a fluffier mousse and also because I prefer doing half the work in advance when it comes to making food that involves a couple of steps of preparation.

If you cannot find limes, just double the quantity of lemon juice called for in the recipe. My Lemon Lime Mousse has been adapted from this recipe.

 

Lemon Lime Mousse

 

Recipe Type: Dessert    Author: Alice In Eatland

Prep Time: 15 Minutes    Cook Time: 5 Minutes    Total Time: 2o Minutes + Chilling Time

Serves: 4 – 6

 

Creamy, sweet & tangy Lemon Lime Mousse made with an easy made from scratch lemon curd base. A beautiful dessert that’s a breeze to make & a dream to eat!

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup butter (preferably salted), melted and cooled to room temperature
• 2 – 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 – 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon zest / rind
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lime zest / rind
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream (in Pakistan I would recommend Olpers Cream)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence

 

METHOD

1. Put the butter, juices, zests, eggs, yolks and sugar in a blender. Blend until everything is uniform, slightly thick and light yellow in colour – this should take less than a minute.
2.  Have a fine mesh sieve over a heatproof bowl ready.
3.  Pour the blended lemon mixture into a non-corrosive pan and whisk the mixture constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture comes to the boil. Keep whisking for 1 – 2 minutes – the mixture will be thick and bubbly.
4. Remove mixture from heat and pour through the fine mesh sieve waiting over the heatproof bowl, pressing the mixture with the back of a large spoon until you’re left with just the zest and bits of cooked egg in the sieve.
5. Cover the surface of the sieved lemon curd immediately with cling film. Make sure that the cling film is in direct contact all over with the lemon curd – this will prevent a skin from forming on the surface of the curd.
6. Cool to room temperature and then place in the fridge for 2 – 4 hours or until quite cold. Overnight works great.
7. Whip cream and vanilla until thick and fluffy. Fold into cold lemon curd lightly with a spatula.
8. Pour or pipe the Lemon & Lime Mousse into individual serving bowls or ramekins or into one large family style serving bowl.
9. Chill 2 – 4 hours. This can be made in advance and does well from chilling overnight in the fridge. The colder the better.
10. If wished, decorate mousse with whipped cream and fresh lemon and lime slices or wedges right before serving.
11. Serve cold straight from the fridge.
12. Keep refrigerated.