March 10, 2009

TWD- Lemon Cup Custard

For such a simple little dessert, this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection sure brought out a lot of opinions! I made it during beloved "nap time" Sunday afternoon and liked how quickly it came together. We have an enormous lemon tree so a quick trip into the beautiful "winter" AZ weather and I had two enormous lemons ready to zest. I used a veggie peeler to cut wide pieces off the lemons to steep in the milk. I thought the final product had a nice lemon taste and it complimented the vanilla- I used about 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract but let's be honest, I just dump that stuff in (my bottle even has a flip top) like the vanilla junky that I am.

I attempted to unmold these little buddies and while they were less than cute, I like that this photo shows the texture of the final product. I baked them just about as long as Dorie recommended and they were still a little jiggly but totally done. I had two faithful taste testers and they both agreed that this was fine, but not enough. My husband thought there should be some sort of crust (like a tart? he suggested) and my mom thought there should be a lot of drippy caramel or lemon sauce (like flan!)

I thought that while this dessert was simple, didn't require any weird or expensive ingredients, and was even pretty fast, it's just not worth the calories to me. Not when I could be making pastry cream with the same ingredients. I'd love to hear your flavor ideas, though, for some inspiration. I think there's something to be said for such a simple and quick dessert. I'm glad I made it, but if you'll excuse me, now I'm really feeling the need to make some pastry cream. Now that's a treat that doesn't even need a tart shell or caramel sauce!

(Recipe available at Bridget's beautiful blog)

34 comments:

  1. Everyone seems to have different ideas about custards! I always liked them as a child, but as an adult I can't handle the "eggy" part. Still, they look pretty cool!

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  2. I was thinking the same thing about pastry cream.. Isn't it weird how baking makes it so flan-like? At least yours look so cute in the ramekins and unmolded nicely!

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  3. Too bad you didn't really like them!! I think they look pretty good!

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  4. I totally agree with you..I'd much rather make/eat pastry cream for the calories. This was super easy, I just wish the result was better so I could use this as an easy weeknight dessert. Love your photo of the unmolded custards!

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  5. No real love here, but I'm glad I made it and tried it! They do look nice though!

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  6. Ooooh I think a tart shell AND caramel sauce would be amazing with this dish!! Sorry you weren't the biggest fan! Now, about that pastry cream....

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  7. I skipped this one, but when I was thinking of making it I thought I would use a crust, too. Looks good, though. I like the pic showing the texture!

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  8. I'm with you -- not worth the calories. But they were fun to try, and like you said, there is no real huge investment of time or ingredients. You have a lemon tree in your backyard? Sigh. Well, love them or not, you made the custards look beautiful, just like you always do!

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  9. Oh...that must be so wonderful to have lemon trees in your back yard.

    Your custards look wonderful.

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  10. I want a lemon tree! That would drive my husband crazy. He has a "thing" about lemons... it's a love/hate relationship with lemons. Go forth and make pastry cream! Cant' wait to see what you do with that.

    ~Delta Whiskey

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  11. I love that you show the texture in you photo. Of course it is not a dessert I would choose by looking at it. :) But, that is where all of the opinions came in right?

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  12. Mmm, pastry cream, now that sounds delicious! I'm sorry this dessert didn't have the "wow" factor. But at least your lemon and vanilla seemed to help out a bit! That and your custards didn't overbake!! They look quite pretty. But at the end of the day, I'm with your mom and husband. Give me a crust or some caramel or something with a bit of "jazz"!

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  13. Perfect, delicious, and look so smooth and creamy.
    Cheers,
    elra

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  14. I love the idea of having a lemony sauce to go with it, but not as much as I love the idea of having my very own lemon tree!

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  15. I would KILL for a lemon tree. Wow. Lucky you!

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  16. You are amazing Anne Strawberry !
    Looks fabby!

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  17. they look great! i think they were meant to just be a simple comfort dessert. i saw a few people that used espresso that said it was really good, maybe you would like that better! and brulee the top! :)

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  18. I like that you unmolded yur custards. They do look like flans. They look tasty.

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  19. Yes, these little custards were a controversial item. Your custards look great.

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  20. I really enjoyed this dessert for its simpleness... the caramel sauce sounds like a great idea though.

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  21. A lot of people seem to be lukewarm about these. I guess I'm glad I couldn't fit them into the schedule! Yours look great, though.

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  22. Come to think of it, I used to make an "impossible custard pie" that was basically a baked custard with a really thin, nice crust to it. Thanks for the reminder!

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  23. I could definitely go for some pastry cream now that you've mentioned it! Great job this week!

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  24. I hear you...if I am going to make and eat this, it had better be worth the calories and I just didn't think it was either. "Vanilla junkie" -- love that...I hear you on that, too! Yours looked very beautiful.

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  25. Oooh pastry cream is just delicious - now you've got me thinking about it.

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  26. Your custards look wonderful! I tried to unmold mine for a photo but they weren't cooperative :)

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  27. Looks great! (BTW, I love the weekend nap too. I dream about them while at work during the week!)

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  28. Mmmm, enjoy that pastry cream!!! Chocolate? he he
    I know hubs doesn't eat chocolate. Anyway, I do remember eating custard pie all the time as a kid. It was good with pastry. That may be the ticket for this little humble dessert. I like that it is low in sugar, has protein, simple and inexpensive to make. Great photos!
    AmyRuth

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  29. I do the same mental weighing of the calories thing! I HATE it when something is "not worth the calories!

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  30. I always think these look delicious, but for some reason I am never a fan. Still look good though!!

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  31. I like how you took yours out, looks more like flan that way! I thought the mocha combo with cinnamon I used work great. I liked this easy and inexpensive recipe. I wanted to add mine to mini tarts, but they did not come together well, so I abandoned the project. Job well done.

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  32. mmm! These look so good! just what I'm in the mood for right now!

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