Creamy yet light no-bake lemon custard with macerated strawberries
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Stand Time & Chill Time3 hourshrs20 minutesmins
Servings: 6ramekins (see notes)
Author: No Bake Lemon Custards with Strawberries by Melissa Clark at NYT Cooking
Ingredients
Custard
2cupsheavy cream
⅔cupgranulated sugar
2teaspoonsfinely grated lemon zestfrom 1 to 2 lemons
Pinchof fine sea salt
⅓cupfresh lemon juicefrom 2 to 3 lemons
Strawberry Topping
1cupsliced strawberries
1 to 2teaspoonsgranulated 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!