Easy Lemon Mousse

It’s odd, that old adage, the one begins,”when life gives you lemons…”

It infers that getting lemons from life is very very bad, when, if you ask me, I can’t think of many things more wonderful. Put a bowlful in the center of your dining room table and it’s instant pretty. Squeeze a tablespoon into a glass with honey and sparkling water and you’ve got instant thirst quencher. Add wedges alongside roasted vegetables and you’ve got instant flavor. And fold lemon curd into eggs whites and cream, and it’s an instant, luscious cloud of lemony dessert.

That’s what this is: a light and easy lemon mousse that weighs in at about 200 calories a serving.

This recipe requires just a few core ingredients with no need to turn on the oven. One of the keys to the ease is that I’ve built in a major short cut.

The recipe calls for prepared lemon curd rather than homemade. Store bought  lemon curd is pretty darn good and can be found in the jams and jellies section or baking section of many markets.

Just peek at the ingredients to be sure nothing frightening lurks in there (hello, Yellow Dye 5).

If you want to make your own lemon curd, go for it. Here’s a recipe from the folks at Cooking Light.

You’ll note that the egg whites here aren’t cooked. Yikes. Not to worry, just be sure to use pasteurized egg whites such as Safest Choice to avoid the risk of salmonella.

In the end, what you have is a light and luscious lemony dessert that will serve four generously or six a little lighter. It’s just the right balance to some of the heavy celebratory meals this time of year. It feels special enough for the holidays without putting you into a sugar coma.

When life gives you lemons. Celebrate. And make lemon mousse.

5 from 1 vote

Print

Lighter Lemon Mousse

A lighter, though plenty luscious mousse that comes in at about 200 calories a serving. Relying on store-bought lemon curd makes this an easy dessert to pull together.

Ingredients

• 3 pasteurized eggs , such as Safest Choice, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 eight-ounce jar prepared lemon curd

Instructions

1. Separate the eggs. Put the egg whites into a large, supremely clean metal bowl. Reserve the yolks for another use.
2. Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer starting on medium-low speed. After about 1 minute, when the whites begin to foam, add the cream of tartar and continue to beat, gradually increasing speed to high. Whip into stiff peaks, keeping in mind that pasteurized whites take longer to whip than non-pasteurized, so be patient. Gently transfer the whipped whites to another bowl.
3. Pour the heavy cream into the bowl you used to beat the whites (no need to clean it first) and whip the cream into stiff peaks, adding the sugar about halfway through.
4. Add the lemon curd to the bowl with the whipped cream and use a rubber spatula to gently fold the cream into the curd. Once smooth and fully incorporated, add the beaten egg whites and gently fold those in.
5. Spoon the mousse into small serving glasses or ramekins and serve immediately or chill and serve within a few hours.