Guest Post: Lemon Mousse Verine

Jackie from Galexi Cupcakes is a sweetheart and a total darling. Seriously, you can't not love her. Especially when she bakes up cakes like this or this or this. I seriously want to smush my face into every one of those. Rude, I know. But my animalistic instincts totally take over when I go through her blog. I'm only human.

We're very lucky that Jackie was able to stop by and create something spectacular for us. Thanks, my brotha from anotha motha!

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Hi Everyone,

My name is Jackie from Galexi Cupcakes & Sweets and I have been lucky enough to be invited by Courtney to share one of my desserts on Courtney's blog.  It really is an honor to be guest posting on this great blog. I don’t have to tell any of you what an incredibly generous and crazy person she is. I love her sense of humor and her desserts are so original and they look amazingly delicious.
 
For those of you I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting, I am a full-time working mom and wife and I have a major sweet tooth, I have the cavities to prove it. I blog because I like writing and I want to document my recipes for my daughters.  Having said that, when Courtney asked me to guest post, I didn’t have to think twice about it.  It had to be a Parisian dessert in honor of Courtney's trip to Paris.  No brainer! I came up with Lemon Mousse Verrine!  I really hope you like it!

They say in Paris, everything looks like dessert. Talk to a Parisian about dessert and you'll often hear stories about grandmothers, holiday gatherings and Sunday dinners.  Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin was a French lawyer and politician that gained fame as an epicure and gastronome, "tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are", is one but many of his sayings. In my opinion Lemon Mousse Verrine is the epitome of classic French desserts.  A verrine is simply a dessert that is layered in a small glass or jar. A combination of colors, textures and tastes.

Lemon Mousse Verine
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsps powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup lemon curd, divided (recipe below)
Graham cracker or wafer cookies

Directions:
Whip cream to soft peaks. Sift in powdered sugar and beat to incorporate. Fold in vanilla extract and 1/4 cup of the lemon curd until well incorporated.  Place a dollop of lemon mousse, about 2-3 tablespoons into each of four dessert cups. Top each layer of mousse with 1 tablespoon of lemon curd, then top off with more whipped cream.

Crush some of the graham crackers and sprinkle on top of the mousse before serving.  Mousse is served best shortly after preparing, but you can store it in the refrigerator up to 1 day if made ahead of time. Add cookie crumbs just before serving or they will get soggy.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients:
4 lemons (zest one of them)
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
2 Tbsp milk
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Directions:
Zest one of the lemons, save the zest. Juice all four lemons – there should be about 1/2 cup of juice.

Next beat together in a saucepan the eggs, yolks, milk, sugar, and salt until just mixed. Stir in the lemon juice and zest, then add the cold butter cubes.  Turn the heat on medium low and slowly heat the mixture, stirring constantly, until it is thick enough to coat a spoon. Do not overheat or stop stirring or the eggs will curdle. If the mixture begins to look grainy, or unsmooth in anyway, take it off the heat immediately and stir vigorously to cool it down and prevent curdling. It is good arm exercise.

When thick, pour through a strainer to remove any lumps. Store leftovers in a jar in the fridge.