Meyer Lemon Budino with Persimmon Cream
I love Meyer lemons and am always excited for the time of year when they are available. Today, I’m making a Meyer Lemon Budino. Budino is a sweet Italian dish, usually rich and creamy like a custard or pudding; and with the leftover lemons, I’ll be making my Meyer Lemon Roast Chicken.
Last week while watching Master Chef Junior, the kids were tasked with making Key Lime pies. One of the contestants served his with persimmon meringue, which I thought sounded really interesting, so I created a whipped cream version using coconut milk as a topping for the Budino.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic coconut palm sugar
3 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup gluten free flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice
2 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest (three Meyer lemons)
3/4 cup full fat coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
Whipped persimmon-coconut cream (optional)
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350° degrees F. Butter one small baking dish or six 3/4-cup ramekins. Combine 1/2 cup sugar, egg yolks, flour, lemon juice, and lemon peel in large bowl; whisk until well blended. Whisk in milk.
Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in medium bowl until frothy. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Fold beaten egg whites into lemon mixture in 2 additions. Transfer lemon mixture into prepared baking dish or divide mixture among prepared ramekins. Place baking dish or ramekins in roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of dish(es). Bake pudding(s) until top’s are golden and spring back when lightly touched, about 50 minutes for small baking dish and 30-35 minutes for ramekins. Note: during the last 10 minutes of baking, I loosely draped a sheet of foil over the budino so it wouldn’t get too dark. It already looked dark because of the type of sugar that I used. Remove roasting pan from oven and then carefully lift the baking dish or ramekins out of the hot water.
Serve the budino warm or cold with whipped persimmon coconut cream, if desired. I dusted the whipped cream with a little Divine Desserts, an aromatic blend of spices that includes fennel pollen, dried ground orange peel, lemon grass powder, cayenne pepper, sour plum powder, star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, vanilla powder, ground clove and coriander.
Persimmon Coconut Cream
INGREDIENTS
Pulp from 1-2 persimmons (optional)
1-2 tablespoons raw honey, depending on if you want sweet
1 can full-fat coconut cream, pre-refrigerated for at least 24 hours
Pollen Ranch Divine Desserts Blend (optional)
PREPARATION
Roughly chop up an over-ripe or soft persimmon and put the pieces into a fine-mesh strainer. With the strainer hanging over a small bowl, smash persimmon pieces with the back of a wooden spoon, forcing the pulp/juice through. If you don’t have a fine-mesh strainer, use a colander, although you may need to puree the pulp in a blender to smooth it out. Stir the honey into the persimmon puree. (You can skip this step if you don’t want to include persimmon or they are out of season).
Open the can of chilled coconut milk without shaking it or turning upside down and carefully spoon out the top layer of opaque, thickened milk that has gathered at the top of the can into a mixing bowl. Leave the syrupy looking translucent liquid in the can (reserve for use in other recipes or your morning smoothie).
Using a hand mixer, whip the coconut milk until stiff peaks form: start on low and then increase to a higher speed, moving the beater up and down and around to infuse the mixture with as much air as possible. Gently fold in the persimmon/honey mixture. Note: If you are not including persimmon, then be sure to add the honey directly into the whipped cream while whipping; you can also use 2-3 tablespoons homemade powdered confectioner’s sugar made from cane sugar.* Coconut cream is best used right after it is whipped although it actually holds up fairly in the fridge.
*To prepare the powdered sugar, grind cane sugar in a blender for 3-4 minutes until there are no sugar crystals remaining. Set aside in an airtight container until ready to use.
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