Lemon Mousse with Pound Cake and Berries

I revisited this luscious lemon mousse recipe for Aunt Jenan's visit. This time I paired it with Sara Lee pound cake and fresh berries.

While cooking the lemon curd over a double broiler, we also had potatoes roasting in the oven and risotto simmering away on the stove. I think the extra heat caused some of my egg whites to fry. I kept stirring constantly the whole 12 minutes, and then tasted it after it thickened. It was okay, I think the lemon zest saved the flavor. If it was vanilla, it might have tasted eggy. So I poured the curd into a sieve to take out those scrambled egg whites and then it was smooth again.

I do like this mousse with the whipped egg whites, but just to prevent raw egg consumption, I added the original cup of unsweetened whipped cream plus one more cup of sweetened whipped cream to substitute the whipped egg whites- and I think it actually comes out even better.

Awesome tip: Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and make sure the edges come out enough on all sides so that you can lift the plastic out later. Pour the mousse into the loaf pan. Cover the top with the extra plastic hanging over the sides and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Later, you can take the mousse out of the loaf pan by lifting the plastic. It makes it very easy to slice perfect sized wedges of mousse, especially since I served this with pound cake that was also in a loaf pan.

Another tip: after washing your berries, sprinkle alittle sugar over your whole and sliced strawberries. After about 30 minutes, the strawberries will get juicier and sweeter - and taste naturally ripe.

Lemon Mousse
Adapted from: Ina Garten

3 extra-large whole eggs
3 extra-large eggs, separate the yolks and whites
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
Kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup good bottled lemon curd, at room temperature
Sliced lemon, for garnish

Directions
In a large heat-proof bowl, whisk together the 3 whole eggs, 3 egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, the lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 10 to 12 minutes until the mixture is thick like pudding. (I change to a whisk when the mixture starts to get thick.) Take off the heat and set aside for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, until completely chilled.

Place half the egg whites and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue to beat until the whites are stiff and shiny. Carefully fold the beaten whites into the cold lemon mixture with a rubber spatula. Place the cream in the same bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (no need to clean the bowl) and beat on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the lemon mixture. Fold in the lemon curd, and pour into a 7-inch-diameter, 3-inch-deep souffle dish. Decorate with sweetened whipped cream and lemon slices that have been cut into quarters. Chill and serve cold.