Another Lemon Dessert

Due to reasons previously mentioned (day trip to the coast etc.), we were all pretty tired and in need of something nourishing but non-labour intensive. The Pork Medallions in a Gorgonzola Sauce had been a hit previously, so much so that my husband insists that we keep some medallions in the freezer at all times. Therefore, the solution of dinner was solved, long before it even became a problem.
Served with Pan Haggarty, a Northern dish of Potatoes layered with onions and butter, and cooked in a frying pan on the hob (my favourite dish from my Vegetarian days) and Peas a la Parisian. For dessert I wanted to use up some sad look unwaxed lemons. I make sure to always have some lemons in the fridge because with just a handful of store cupboard ingredients you can always knock up a quick pudding of some sort – there are very few main courses that are not complimented by a lemon dessert, whether it’s a posset, a sorbet, a tart or, in this case, a baked pudding.
I am very old school and believe that, whilst a starter isn’t an essential component of a dinner party, a dessert is. It is a rare person who refuses pudding, even my grandmother who is going down in history as “not being a chocolate person” will, without fail, devour with relative ease, a heavingly large bowl of dessert. With custard. And cream.
With that, last nights main course was a success. The plates were clean. Empty plates must be any cooks sign of unspoken flattery: a litmus test of culinary success if you will.
So, with my starting ingredient of some lemons and not much else, I started scanning the indexes of my cookbooks. Lemon Souffle, Lemon Chiffon Pie, Lemon Granita. I didn’t really feel like making pastry, there was no time for a frozen pud and I wasn’t feeling brave enough for a soufflé even though I’ve yet to have a flopped soufflé. Suddenly, as so often happens, Nigel Slater came to my rescue: Lemon Surprise Pudding. To the consumer of this rich dessert, there is no surprise. However, to the person who whisks up the egg whites and folds them into a lumpy looking batter, the finished article is more than a surprise. It is a miracle of science. Let me elaborate. During cooking, the ingredients separate to form two distinct layers: a rich, mouth-puckering, tangy lemon custard nestling beneath a meringue-light pale golden sponge. It was the perfect foil to the richness of the Gorgonzola cream sauce of the main course.
I remembered this pudding from my childhood and I was always dumbstruck at the seeming magic of it. I realise now that it was probably a fortuitous mistake that caused the batter to split into two delicious entities.
Just so you know, this is a case of taste being prevalent over beauty. And never did something so sloppy taste so great!
LEMON SURPRISE PUDDING serves 6
Ingredients:
Juice of three Lemons, Zest of two Lemons
100g Butter
175g Caster Sugar (I used Vanilla but this is not obligatory)
4 Eggs separated
50g Plain Flour
500ml Milk (this seems like an awful lot of milk but it constitutes, along with the eggs and lemon, the custard derriere)
METHOD:
Grease a 2 litre Ovenproof Dish.
Preheat the oven to 180c.
Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
Beat in the lemon juice and zest followed by the egg yolks one at a time. The mix will now resemble scrambled egg.
Stir in the flour and milk. The batter will now be runny and flecked with small lumps. Don’t panic!
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until peaking softly. Fold gently into the lemon batter until fully amalgamated.
Pour into the greased dish and place in a bain marie, which is to say, a roasting dish filled with enough water to bring it halfway up your baking dish.
Precariously insert this contraption into the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the mixture has separated and a golden sponge has formed. The custard will be gently bubbling underneath.
It is better if you let it stand for a couple of minutes to allow the custard to set up but if you can’t wait, not to worry. Serve with single cream if you wish.