Lemon cust ard is among the most popular and practiced recipes for young pastry chefs. Learning to dose and balance sweetness and acidity, especially when it comes to desserts, is an essential skill. The sharp sweet flavor of classic custard is combined with the scent of lemon, which rinses the mouth and leaves an extra sense of freshness.
This custard is perfect for topping any kind of dessert, from sponge cake to tarts and cookies. A quick and easy recipe that will manage to surprise each of your future guests. Together we will find out what steps to follow to make a perfect lemon custard, cooked with and without eggs. You will thus be able to please everyone without giving up the unique flavor of a traditional custard.

Ingredients for the classic recipe

Let’s start with the classic recipe, which is quick and easy to prepare. Lemon custard requires the presence of first-rate citrus fruits, capable of releasing an intense and fresh juice. In fact, we recommend buying only first-rate lemons, which are able to enhance the recipe and the whole preparation. On the Sicilia Agrumi store you will find several offers dedicated precisely to lemons. The Siracusana variant, known worldwide for being juicy and flavorful, is perfect for making this simple recipe. – 500 ml whole milk
– the zest of 2 lemons
– 3 egg yolks
– 60 g granulated sugar
– 40 g flour 00
– a few drops of lemon juice

Ingredients recipe without eggs

Below, we also leave you the ingredients for the eggless version. As you will notice right away, it is basically the same list. The only addition is the cornstarch that will replace the egg and its “clumping” effect. – 500 ml milk
– 100 g granulated sugar
– 50 g cornstarch (cornflour) or flour
– 3 lemons
– a few drops of lemon juice

Proceedings

The process of making lemon custard is very similar, both in the version with and without eggs. We will explain how to make both, so that you do not make any kind of mistake. The first step of the recipe concerns the lemons, which should be rinsed, cleaned and dried to perfection. We should get the zest from them, which will be used to flavor the milk-the basis of the start of any custard.
Be sure to cut off the yellow peel, carefully avoiding the white part, which tends to taste bitter. You can help yourself with a knife or a peeler, depending on what is available. At this point, place a saucepan on the stove and heat the milk with the lemon zest. It does not have to come to a boil, but just warm enough so that the lemon flavor can really be felt. While the milk is heating up, take a bowl and pour the sugar inside. Now, you will need to add the cornstarch in the case of the sugar-free preparation and the egg yolks and 00 flour in the version with eggs.
Stir until you get a smooth mixture, then add the milk from which the lemon peels have been removed. Pour the mixture back into the same initial saucepan and place it on the stove. Cook the custard for at least 5 minutes, stirring with the help of a kitchen whisk to prevent lumps from forming. If you wish, you can add a few drops of lemon to give an extra touch to your recipe, but this depends on how much you love lemon and what your preferences are.

In any case, your lemon custard is now complete is can be used to decorate any dessert you can think of. Enjoy!