Lemon Custard with Strawberries

This 4 ingredient no-bake lemon custard is rich and creamy yet still light.

Lemon Custard with Strawberries

I am a lemon lover and I love this dessert! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

• This custard requires only 4 ingredients – cream, sugar, salt and lemon (5 ingredients if you count the lemon zest and lemon juice.) The strawberry topping adds just 2 more ingredients – strawberries and sugar.
• It doesn’t require baking. You simply simmer the cream, sugar and lemon zest. After removing the custard from the heat, then you add the lemon to “set” the cream.
• The result is a softer style, creamy custard which is rich and lemony but still light in texture.

Posset? Pudding? Custard?

According to NYT (New York Times) Cooking, this No-Bake Lemon Custard with Strawberries recipe is actually a British dessert called a posset. Not familiar with posset? Me neither. Essentially it’s a cold dessert made from thickened cream, typically flavored with lemon. But like the folks at NYT Cooking, I called it custard because it’s a more familiar term in the U.S. You could also call it a pudding as well. Whatever you call it, don’t call me late for dinner if this is being served for dessert. Yum!

Serving Size & Chill Time

On my second batch, I used the cute little creme Brule-style ramekins pictured above. These worked perfectly for 6 servings, but the serving size is definitely on the small side. I have always felt that being bad in a small way (calorie-wise) is a good philosophy in life. If you prefer a little larger portion, I would suggest dividing this into 4 servings and using a 5 or 6-ounce ramekin like the one pictured below. I partially fill each of the smaller ramekins to leave room for the strawberries.

While the recipe calls for at least 3 hours of chill time, I would suggest longer. The second time I made these I let them chill for 6 hours. Because they are such a soft custard, the additional chill time gives them a little more firmness. You could easily make these a day in advance as well. If you go that route, pan to make the macerated strawberries 30-60 minutes before serving.

Lemon Custard with Strawberries

Creamy yet light no-bake lemon custard with macerated strawberries

4.60 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Stand Time & Chill Time: 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 ramekins (see notes)

Author: No Bake Lemon Custards with Strawberries by Melissa Clark at NYT Cooking

Ingredients

Custard

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

Strawberry Topping

• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 1 to 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Instructions

• Stir together cream, sugar, lemon zest, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture reaches a simmer, stirring frequently to dissolve sugar. Simmer vigorously until mixture thickens slightly, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Let mixture cool slightly, and the custard forms a skin on top, about 20 minutes.
• Stir custard, then strain it through a fine-mesh strainer into a measuring cup with a spout; discard the lemon zest. Pour into four or six6-ounce ramekins or small bowls. Note – I used creme brulee-style ramekins, which provided more room for the topping.
• Refrigerate, uncovered, until set, for at least 3 hours. Note this recipe can be made the night before as well.
• While custard chills, make the strawberry topping. Toss strawberries and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Let fruit macerate (get juicy) at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the sugar is dissolved, tossing occasionally.
• Serve custards with strawberry topping.

Notes

The number of servings depends on how full you make each ramekin. When I fill the ramekins, I fill each one part-way to leave room for the strawberries which results in 6 servings.

 

The NYT Cooking Recipe suggests topping the dessert with freshly ground black pepper. I tried it and it didn’t do anything for me. Feel free to give that a try if you’re feeling adventurous!