Lemon crunch verrine
When me and my husband were in Paris we went on a mini pastry "tour" guided by me. We got lost a couple of times but we also visited a lot of famous pastry shops.
One of my favorite moments was when we bought a Michalak dessert in a jar and went to a stunning white church on a hill to eat it. The view was amazing and the dessert was a cherry on top.
It may look simple in the picture above, but the flavors were complex and it actually inspired my lemon crunch dessert. I loved the fluffy cream on top and the strong and smooth flavors at the bottom of a jar. With each spoonful I got different textures and flavors.
I absolutely love lemon and lemon desserts, that's why I decided for a simple lemon curd at the bottom of my jar. The curd is a basic recipe but the special element is cocoa butter. I never used cocoa butter before and I was pleasantly surprised how much flavor it has. It reminded me of white chocolate (which makes sense, white chocolate is mostly cocoa butter) and gave the curd a chocolaty undertone.
For a crunch element I made a lemon crumble, recipe courtesy of C. Michalak (you can find it here). I was really surprised how crunchy it was and how good it tasted. The lemon flavor came through even though I used only lemon zest. For the creamy element on top I made a mascarpone and whipped cream layer with lemon zest and vanilla extract.
The dessert is very simple and quick to make. It delivers a tangy and creamy flavor, which almost reminds me of a lemon meringue tart. The recipe also requires a minimal amount of baking time and it's perfect for hot summer days. It's a great dessert for parties, layered in cute see-through plastic cups beforehand and stored in the fridge until ready to serve.
Pour the cream (about 2cm) in a prepared jars or glasses. Place in the fridge to set.
Making the lemon crumble:
Preheat oven to 170°C (338°F).
Make sure the butter is soft enough before making the crumble.
Place butter, brown sugar, sifted icing sugar, almond powder, salt, lemon zest and sifted flour in a bowl of your electric mixer and mix until combined.
Crumble the pastry on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until slightly golden.
Take out of the oven and set aside to cool completely. Store the leftovers in an airtight container.
Making the mascarpone cream:
Combine mascarpone, sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract and whip to soft peaks.
Assembly:
Sprinkle the lemon crumble on top of a set lemon curd in the jars or glasses. Place the cream in a piping bag and pipe a generous layer of cream on top of the crumble. Sprinkle with lemon zest and top with chocolate or other decoration.
The recipe makes a small amount of verrines, but you can double or triple it for larger amounts.
One of my favorite moments was when we bought a Michalak dessert in a jar and went to a stunning white church on a hill to eat it. The view was amazing and the dessert was a cherry on top.
I absolutely love lemon and lemon desserts, that's why I decided for a simple lemon curd at the bottom of my jar. The curd is a basic recipe but the special element is cocoa butter. I never used cocoa butter before and I was pleasantly surprised how much flavor it has. It reminded me of white chocolate (which makes sense, white chocolate is mostly cocoa butter) and gave the curd a chocolaty undertone.
For a crunch element I made a lemon crumble, recipe courtesy of C. Michalak (you can find it here). I was really surprised how crunchy it was and how good it tasted. The lemon flavor came through even though I used only lemon zest. For the creamy element on top I made a mascarpone and whipped cream layer with lemon zest and vanilla extract.
The dessert is very simple and quick to make. It delivers a tangy and creamy flavor, which almost reminds me of a lemon meringue tart. The recipe also requires a minimal amount of baking time and it's perfect for hot summer days. It's a great dessert for parties, layered in cute see-through plastic cups beforehand and stored in the fridge until ready to serve.
Lemon crunch verrine
(Makes 5)
Time:
Preparation: 30min
Cooking: 15min
Setting: 1 hour
For the lemon curd:
- 67g fresh lemon juice
- lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 47 eggs
- 17g milk (I used low fat)
- 27g white granulated sugar
- 1/2 sheet gelatin
- 10g cocoa butter (chopped)
- a pinch of salt
- 65g butter
- 55g softened butter
- 30g brown sugar
- 30g icing sugar
- 35g ground almonds
- 70g flour
- a pinch of salt
- 1g lemon zest
- 50g mascarpone
- 15g icing sugar
- 10g lemon zest (to finish)
- 150g heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Soak gelatin in cold water and set aside.
Pour lemon juice and zest in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl. Pour the hot juice over the egg mixture and whisk. Pour back in a sauce pan and cook the mixture until boiling. Take off the heat and add soaked gelatin and cocoa butter.
Mix until combined and strain through a sieve to a small bowl. Cool to about 40°C, then add the butter cubes while blending with a immersion blender.
Preheat oven to 170°C (338°F).
Make sure the butter is soft enough before making the crumble.
Place butter, brown sugar, sifted icing sugar, almond powder, salt, lemon zest and sifted flour in a bowl of your electric mixer and mix until combined.
Crumble the pastry on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until slightly golden.
Making the mascarpone cream:
Combine mascarpone, sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract and whip to soft peaks.
Assembly:
Sprinkle the lemon crumble on top of a set lemon curd in the jars or glasses. Place the cream in a piping bag and pipe a generous layer of cream on top of the crumble. Sprinkle with lemon zest and top with chocolate or other decoration.
The recipe makes a small amount of verrines, but you can double or triple it for larger amounts.
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