A lingering cold combined with end of the quarter malaise and general pregnancy-induced exhaustion prevented me from preparing an elaborate Easter dessert this year. What with the glorious Meyer lemon in season, I envisioned a fresh lemon tart with almond crust. But the thought of making and rolling out pastry dough proved far too ambitious. That's when I had my moment of genius: to adapt a Real Simple recipe for buttermilk pudding into a Meyer lemon delicacy. The recipe is, oddly enough, completely simple:
1 1/4-oz. envelope unflavoured gelatin
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups buttermilk
zest of 1 gorgeous Meyer lemon
Combine the gelatin with 1/4 cup water and let stand for 3 minutes. In small saucepan, over medium heat, combine 1/2 cup of the cream and the sugar. Cook, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in the gelatin. In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, lemon zest, and remaining cream. Whisk in the warm cream mixture. Lightly oil (canola oil) six 6-oz ramekins. Divide the mixture evenly among the ramekins. Refrigerate, covered, at least 3 hours. To serve, run a knife around edge of each ramekin and invert onto plates.
I was able to take my puddings to the next gustatory level with the addition of the first sweet crop of Santa Maria strawberries: perfection.
*note: If you don't have access to fresh (non-wax dipped grocery store) lemons and strawberries, don't fret. Simply replace the lemon zest with one teaspoon of vanilla extract and garnish with any fruit in season.
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