Lemony Heaveny

There are some foods that I prepare once and think, "This is great! I've got to make this again!" and then promptly forget. I'll flip past the recipe print-out in my binder and think, "Meh. That was all right."

Then there are some foods that I prepare once and know I will never forget. Like the Orange Julius in our ice cream maker. So much better than ice cream and it's just OJ, milk, water, vanilla and a smidgeon of sugar. Super good! (I have some of yesterday's batch defrosting in the fridge right now... Mmmm...)

Then there are some foods that I prepare once and my life has been shattered. Changed forever. Such was my experience with the lemony, heaveny (misspelling on purpose... work with me, here...), light, frothy deliciousness of Dorie Greenspan's (or should I say, Pierre Herme's) Lemon Cream. Note to cookers: the link above calls for 1/2 cup of lemon juice. The other, more easily accessible version of this recipe online, calls for 3/4 cup. I loved the slight, but not overpowering, tang that I got with 1/2 cup. Your call.

I was nervous to try this cream since I've never made anything like it. I couldn't get it all the way up to temperature and knew that I would have scrambled eggs if I didn't take it off the heat soon, so I had no idea if it would firm up enough. I didn't have time to buy fresh lemons, so I had used a jar of store-bought lemon juice. And a BLENDER? That seems so wrong for a dessert that looks so delicate.

So I dipped my spoon into the final product with serious trepidation. I cautiously closed my lips around it and let it hit my tongue. My eyes opened wide in surprise. This was, by far, the most delicious lemon ANYTHING I had ever tasted. That is probably due, in part, to the fact that it is exactly up my alley: light and frothy, not too tangy, but a delicious lemon flavor.

My sister tried it and kind of said, "Meh. Not lemony enough." Her son, however, tried it and said, "This is probably in the top ONE best lemon desserts I've ever had." I looked nervously at his Mom and smiled apologetically. She frowned at him and reminded him of the wonderful things she has baked. I tried to change the subject. But I couldn't agree with my nephew more. It's brilliant. It's not all greasy-looking like most lemon fillings. The butter is set aside until after the mixture is cooked and cooled, so the final product has a character all its own.

I filled up some mini tarts and served them at a baby shower. I was amazed that others didn't gobble them down as quickly as I did, but grateful, too. So, so grateful to have leftovers.

And now, it's been a week and a half and I can't get that lemon cream out of my head. It's haunting my attempts to get control of my health. It's constantly there, in the back of my mind, beckoning so seductively. I think I'll give in. There are SO few foods in the world that are worth the calories. Well, I can only think of two indulgences that are worth the calories: this lemon cream and Pepe's pizza in New Haven. If I could eat those two things every day, I'd pat my gut and say in some silly accent (simply because I really like silly accents), "Ahh it is very sad, but so worth it. Mmmm...."

In the mood to cook? I'd be happy to make some lemon cream with you. Seriously. Give me a good reason to make this decadence. Please?