No-Bake Lemon Custards With Strawberries

By Melissa Clark

No-Bake Lemon Custards With Strawberries
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
35 minutes, plus chilling
Rating
4(2,519)
Comments
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Ultracreamy but still ethereally light, these individual custards are set with lemon juice rather than eggs, cornstarch or gelatin. They are thick and velvety, but not overly rich, with a bright, clean citrus flavor. Based on a British dessert called a posset, the key is to simmer the cream and sugar before adding the fresh lemon juice, giving the cream a chance to thicken slightly. In this summery version, the custards are served with a topping of syrupy, sugared strawberries and a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper, which adds a gentle spicy note without overwhelming the fruit.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

    For the Custards

    • 2cups heavy cream
    • ⅔cup granulated sugar
    • 2teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (from 1 to 2 lemons)
    • Pinch of fine sea salt
    • ⅓cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)

    For the Strawberry Topping

    • 1cup sliced strawberries
    • 1 to 2teaspoons granulated sugar
    • Freshly ground black pepper, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

372 calories; 29 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 27 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 47 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a medium saucepan, combine cream, sugar, lemon zest and salt over medium-high heat. Bring to simmer, stirring frequently to dissolve sugar. Simmer vigorously until mixture thickens slightly, about 4 to 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Let sit until mixture has cooled slightly and a skin forms on top, about 20 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Stir mixture, then strain through fine-mesh strainer into a measuring cup with a spout; discard zest. Pour mixture evenly into six 6-ounce ramekins or small bowls.

  4. Step 4

    Refrigerate, uncovered, until set, at least 3 hours.

  5. Step 5

    As the custards chill, prepare the strawberry topping: Toss strawberries and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Let fruit macerate at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the sugar is dissolved.

  6. Step 6

    To serve, top each lemon custard with some strawberry topping and grind black pepper on top.

Ratings

4 out of 5
2,519 user ratings
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Comments

Jack

You're recipe only makes 1 cup of custard rather than 2, so I guess that's one way to reduce the fat. Or maybe a better way for anyone who cares about the fat content, just dump a scoop of lemon yogurt into a bowl and top with berries, and you can pretend it resembles this custard. The better alternative, of course, is to stop obsessing about fat content and enjoy this simple and good desert.

Rodney

Amazing. A recipe with only four ingredients, and almost all of the questions are about substituting ingredients! I'd say that probably all of the ingredients are required for it to set and/or taste sweet, because puddings, jellies, and flans are tricky bits of biochemistry that rely on coagulations of proteins and/or lipids. But it wouldn't be too hard to try with your coconut milk or apple juice or whatever; but expect to have a sweet soup rather than a pudding. Perhaps you'll be surprised.

roger

Must boil Slowly down to Exactly 2 cups. (8-12 min.) Stir frequently. (Vigorously boiling may boil over.) Check volume often in measuring cup. 6 ramekins too many. I use 4 ramekins or martini glasses Blueberries also a good garnish.

Rinne

I doubled the recipe and used 1/4 less than the amount of sugar called for and it was still very sweet. I will use half the amount next time. Followed CaptainNY's trick of using a veggie peeler to peel the rind off the lemon in large strips instead of zesting it, then removed the large peels after the custard thickened. Macerated raspberries and blueberries for the topping.

Sue

I made 1 1/2 recipe for 6 people , I did let it simmer for 11 minutes till it was clearly starting to thicken. It turned out great. I did not strain it as it was very smooth already. I will try it again. A quick, cool summer dessert.

Bellaverdi

Easy and delicious! Prepared night before (covered with cloth after very well cooled). 6 ramekins looked quite meager, so used 4. Elegant, light (?) dessert for Father’s Day.

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