'Concert of lemon flavours and fragrances' – beignets with lemon cream
Item 1 of 1
- medium
- 4
- 2 hours 30 minutes
This striking dessert recipe from Ernesto Iaccarino is a celebration of lemon in many zesty forms. The tangy flavour of the fruit is woven through every aspect of this dish, from the luxurious crème pâtissière filling for the beignets and the lemon cream which oozes temptingly from the lemon centrepiece, right through to the delicately drizzled caramel sauce. Make sure you plan ahead as this dessert requires a range of techniques that will test your pastry skills.
First published in 2016
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Dehydrated lemon slices
- 1/2 lemon, cut into 4 thin slices
- 100ml of sugar syrup
Beignets
- 100ml of water
- 50g of butter
- 100g of 00 flour
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 pinch of salt
Custard filling
- 250ml of whole milk
- 1/4 vanilla pod, seeds only
- 2 egg yolks
- 40g of caster sugar
- 20g of plain flour
- 1/2 lemon, zest only
- lemon juice, to taste
Lemon cream
Caramelised sugar
- 1 dash of water
- 200g of caster sugar
Lemon caramel
- 80ml of lemon juice
- 40g of sugar
- 16g of honey
Lemon fritter
- 450g of self-raising flour
- 500ml of milk
- 2 egg whites, whisked into soft peaks
- 1/2 lemon, cut into 4 slices
- plain flour for dusting
- caster sugar for dusting
- 500ml of extra virgin olive oil
To serve
- 4 lemons, tops sliced off and flesh removed
- 4 sprigs of mint
- icing sugar for dusting
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Dehydrator
- Thermometer
- Piping bag and nozzle 2
Method
1
Begin by preparing the dehydrated lemon slices a day in advance. Dip the lemon slices in sugar syrup until evenly coated, then arrange across a tray and dry overnight in a dehydrator set to 65°C
- 1/2 lemon, cut into 4 thin slices
- 100ml of sugar syrup
2
To make the crème pâtissière for the beignet filling, bring the milk to the boil with the vanilla seeds and pass through a sieve. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until light and creamy and sift in the flour, gently folding the mixture together
- 250ml of whole milk
- 1/4 vanilla pod, seeds only
- 2 egg yolks
- 40g of caster sugar
- 20g of plain flour
3
Gradually mix in the hot milk and stir to combine, then transfer the mixture back into a pan and stir gently over a low heat for 5 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool, stirring occasionally. Cover with cling film and transfer to the fridge until required
4
For the lemon cream, bring the milk to the boil with the lemon zest and vanilla seeds, then remove from the heat and leave to cool completely
- 50g of milk
- 2 lemons, zest only
- 1/2 vanilla pod, seeds only
5
Meanwhile, make the caramelised sugar. Pour the water and sugar into a wide-based pan and place over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved
- 1 dash of water
- 200g of caster sugar
6
Once dissolved, increase the heat and boil the sugar (without stirring) until the temperature reaches 132°C. Working quickly, remove the pan from the heat and drizzle the sugar into rough square shapes over baking parchment and leave to cool and set
7
To finish the lemon cream, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and yoghurt together in a bowl and mix through the cooled milk mixture. Transfer to a pan and bring up to 84°C, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens with a smooth custard-like consistency. Leave to cool and transfer to a squeezy bottle
- 50g of egg yolk
- 125g of low fat natural yoghurt
- 30g of sugar
8
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper
9
For the beignets, bring the water to the boil and add the butter and a pinch of salt. Remove from the heat and let the mixture stand for 2 minutes, then sift in the flour while whisking vigorously. Place back over a medium heat and simmer gently until thickened, then remove and leave to rest
- 100ml of water
- 50g of butter
- 1 pinch of salt
- 100g of 00 flour
10
Once the mixture is warm but not hot add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing the first egg yolk in completely before adding the next one. Transfer the beignet batter to a piping bag and pipe 2cm balls of dough onto the baking tray. Bake for approximately 5 minutes, then remove and leave to cool
11
Meanwhile prepare the filling for the beignets. Mix 120g of the crème pâtissière with the lemon zest and lemon juice, transfer to a piping bag and set aside
- lemon juice, to taste
- 1/2 lemon, zest only
12
Preheat a deep-fryer to 145°C
13
For the lemon fritters, whisk the self-raising flour and milk together until combined and fold in the egg whites. Dust the lemon slices in a little flour and dip into the fritter mixture, then deep fry until golden brown. Drain any excess oil on kitchen paper, then roll lightly in sugar to coat
- 450g of self-raising flour
- 500ml of milk
- 2 egg whites, whisked into soft peaks
- 500ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lemon, cut into 4 slices
- plain flour for dusting
- caster sugar for dusting
14
For the lemon caramel, dissolve the sugar and lemon juice together in a heavy-based frying pan over a high heat. Stir in the honey and reduce for approximately 15 minutes to form a golden caramel
- 80ml of lemon juice
- 40g of sugar
- 16g of honey
15
Once the beignets have cooled make a small hole in the middle of each one and pipe in a generous quantity of filling. Pipe any remaining filling across the top half of each beignet to cover
16
When ready to serve, slice a small section off the bottom of each lemon to make a stable base. Place on serving plates and fill with the lemon cream
- 4 lemons, tops sliced off and flesh removed
17
To serve, slice a small section off the bottom of each lemon to make a stable base and fill with the lemon cream. Place one in the centre of each plate and garnish the lemons with fritters, dehydrated lemon slices and mint leaves. Spoon over a little lemon caramel sauce and arrange the sugar squares and beignets across the palte. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately
- icing sugar for dusting
- 4 sprigs of mint
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