If you like sour notes in sweet pastries, then you should definitely try at least once to prepare a delicious lemon custard. It perfectly shades the taste of the biscuit itself, giving it an original touch. In addition, it is quite easy to prepare it, and you will not need to buy exotic ingredients at all. Unfortunately, now this cream is mainly popular only in the UK and North America, but gradually it began to spread throughout the rest of the world. This article will present lemon custard recipes with photos that you can cook yourself at home.
Dish features
Lemon custard is quite different from everyone else, because in appearance it may resemble pudding. However, this does not prevent him from being an unusually tasty addition to various dishes like cakes and eclairs. Characterized by a bright taste and aroma, it is also quite useful, since you can find a huge number of various vitamins and minerals in it. Quite rarely, desserts can really boast a similar chemical composition. So it is not at all surprising that it has been widely used in English cuisine since the 19th century.
Lemon Kurd for Cake
If you decide to use lemon custard for the cake, then the best option would be to prepare for it simple classic or orange cakes. This is how citrus fruits will look most advantageous. By the way, the recipe presented here can be used not only as a delicious layer for the cake, but also as a separate dessert.
So, for its preparation you will need to take the following products:
- 250 ml of milk;
- 40 grams of premium wheat flour;
- 2 egg yolks;
- 1 lemon;
- 80 grams of granulated sugar.
Step cooking
When using this recipe for lemon custard for a cake, it is recommended to follow the following instructions:
- First of all, you need to take a stewpan with a thick bottom and pour milk into it. Then directly into it you will also need to grate the whole zest with a lemon. So, the taste will be much more saturated. Once these ingredients are ready, they need to be mixed and put on low heat.
- While the lemon milk is warming up, other ingredients should be prepared. To do this, egg yolks and sugar are ground together, and then flour is added to the resulting mixture. Everything is thoroughly mixed, and gradually added to already warmed milk.
- Carefully mix all the sugar and egg mass into the liquid in small doses. In this case, the mixture will constantly have to be mixed in order to prevent the appearance of lumps.
- The resulting cream must be cooked on low heat until the mixture becomes thick enough. About 10 minutes is enough for this. When cooking, the Kurds must be constantly stirred. The custard must be cooled before use.
Such a recipe for lemon custard will please even the most demanding gourmet, as it will impress not only with its aromatic taste, but also with a pleasant shade that looks great on pastries.
Dough for eclairs
If you like more delicate and refined pastries, then you should try using the recipe for eclairs with lemon custard. Cooking them will be a little more difficult than a cake, but the taste will definitely please. To prepare them, you will need the following ingredients:
- 125 ml of fresh milk;
- 100 grams of butter;
- 150 grams of premium wheat flour;
- 125 ml of water;
- 4 eggs;
- 1 teaspoon of salt.
Eclair cream
These products will be needed to make custard dough for the eclairs themselves. Additionally, the cream will also require:
- a glass of milk;
- 125 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice;
- 100 grams of sugar;
- zest from one lemon;
- 2 eggs;
- 90 grams of butter;
- vanillin;
- 60 grams of wheat flour.
Cooking method
To prepare the most delicate eclairs with a pleasant sour lemon custard, the recipe of which is given here, you will need to adhere to the following guide:
- The very first thing you need to do is make a custard dough. To do this, pour milk and water into a pot with a thick bottom. Then butter is laid out in them. The pan will need to be put on fire and the mixture heated over low heat until the butter has completely melted.
- As soon as the oil becomes liquid, the fire must be increased and wait until it boils. After that, the sifted flour and salt should be poured into the mixture, and mix everything quickly. Then the pan is removed by fire for about a quarter of an hour.
- As soon as this time has expired, the pan with the dough is again put on the stove. Now you need to mix it thoroughly so that it forms a sticky ball. After the dough is again removed from the fire, and fresh eggs are added to it one at a time. After each of them, the whole mass is thoroughly mixed.
- The resulting choux dough must be placed in a confectionery syringe, and with it, drop strips that will turn into future eclairs. This should be done directly on the baking sheet, which was covered with parchment. It is worth considering that during cooking, the eclairs will increase, and therefore you need to leave space between the workpieces.
- They will be baked at a temperature of 210 degrees in a preheated oven for about half an hour. Care should be taken to ensure that a brownish crust appears on them. Before you put the stuffing in them, you need to completely cool, otherwise it will melt and flow.
Cooking cream
After making the dough, you need to start cooking the lemon custard itself according to the recipe:
- For him, milk and lemon juice are added to a small pan, then zest and egg are poured. The whole mixture is thoroughly beaten, after which vanillin and sugar are poured.
- The future cream is put on a small fire, after which you can pour salt and flour. Everything mixes quickly with constant heating to prevent clumping. The mixture will need to be removed from the heat only after it thickens.
- The resulting cream needs to be slightly cooled, then add the butter and mix everything. Before use, put it in the refrigerator for about half an hour, after which, using a culinary syringe, fill each eclair with cream. Before serving, it is best to sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Conclusion
A simple custard is rarely used alone, since it has almost no taste. That is why various products are added to it that give it an original flavor. The above lemon custard recipes are ideal for adding a touch of baking to the table. Moreover, such a lemon kurd is also good because it can be eaten completely separately as a simple and tasty dessert that will resemble jam.