Over several decades of writing mainly baking books, I’ve created countless dessert recipes. Cakes, pies, ice creams, cookies …. oh yes, loads of cookies for three different cookie books! But never, until recently, did I think to come up with a recipe for Lemon Pots de Creme. This, it turns out, was a terrible oversight, as IMHO these to-die-for little puddings rank right up there with the most sublime treats ever devised. Think tart-sweet, intensely lemony, and as rich, smooth, and luxurious on the tongue as a couture satin shirt is on the skin.
I don’t know why lemon pots de creme were missing from my repertoire. I’d created a deeply chocolatey Chocolate Pots de Crème recipe for my 1991 International Chocolate Cookbook that has been a favorite ever since. And lemon meringue pie and lemon shortbread bars are two of the sweets I remember most vividly from childhood and still often crave.
Despite the chi-chi name, lemon pots de crème call for no fancy French patisserie techniques other than baking the individual custards in a bain marie, a warm water bath. Etymologists say the phrase, translated as “Marie’s bath,” comes from Medieval Latin. Some scholars think the Marie mentioned may have been Maria Prophetissa, an early alchemist who lived some time between the first and third centuries AD.
Baking the cups in a water bath is a simple step and requires no skill whatsoever, but never skip it. The water partly shields the yolks—all seven of them!—from curdling due to harsh oven heat. Which means they cook gently and slowly and thicken the custards (without any assistance from flour or cornstarch) to a lush, silken state that is the mark of all well-made flans and baked custards and puddings.
Supremely Good Lemon Pots de Creme
You will need 6 to 8 ramekins, pot de creme cups, or custard cups; ramekins that are 2 1/2- to 3-inches in diameter and hold around 2/3 cup are ideal. The classic tempered glass custard cups are on the large side but will do fine, if that’s what you have; set them on teacup saucers to dress them up a bit.
raspberries or whipped cream dollops for garnish
In a medium non-reactive saucepan, bring the cream, honey, sugar, lemon zest, and salt just to a boil, stirring until honey and sugar are dissolved. Turn the heat off and let the mixture steep for at least 30 minutes and preferably 1 hour. For a more intense flavor or convenience, make ahead, then cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
When ready to complete preparations, position a rack in the middle third of the oven; preheat to 325 degrees F. Lay a tea towel in a deep roasting pan or flat baking dish large enough to hold the ramekins. Set 6 to 8 oven-proof ramekins or cups, spaced slightly apart, in the pan. Reheat the steeped cream mixture to very warm, stirring; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until very frothy and smooth. Gradually pouring in a thin stream, whisk the cream mixture into the egg yolks, continuing until all the cream is incorporated. Whisk in the lemon juice until evenly incorporated. Strain the custard mixture through a fine sieve into a 2 cup glass measure, stirring and pressing down on the zest. Pour the mixture into the ramekins, dividing equally.Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it comes at least halfway up the sides of the dishes.
Bake for 20 minutes. Begin testing by jiggling a custard cup; as soon as the crème is set except for about the center 1-inch, the custards are done. Carefully remove the pan to a cooling rack and let stand until the custards are cooled, then cover and refrigerate them for up to 4 days. Let warm up just slightly before serving. Makes 6 medium-sized and 8 small desserts.
You may also like my Chocolate Pots de Creme recipe here. My favorite “crackless” NY-style cheesecake also bakes in a warm water bath; check it out here.
Yes, it stays on the pan bottom to protect the cups from the heat of the pan.
I am confused about the tea towel…does this get covered with water and baked in the oven?? Did I miss a step?
AI GirlfriendIt really is good to know that this topic is being covered also on this web site so cheers for taking time to discuss this!
I have never tried that so can’t be sure. But I doubt that the grapefruit would have an intense enough flavor or be sour enough. Perhaps you could use grapefruit and then boost the flavor and tartness with lemon. Frankly though, I think it will be better left as is with just lemon.
Could these be made with grapefruit!
Sounds great. I do love this recipe!
i am looking forward to making this recipe for a weekend ladies brunch. i will be serving other sweets so i like to keep portions small. in the past i have used 2.5-3 inchhigh glass candle votive holders to cook and serve them in. a simple presentation i garnish with lemon zest. i also provide small dessert spoons to provide small delicious bites
thank you for sharing your delicious recipe.
Yes, I do add lavender into this recipe. You must have read that in the Post story! I simply stir about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons dried lavender culinary buds into the cream with the honey and other ingredients and let steep. I strain out the lavender along with the other ingredients exactly the same as before.
I read that you like to incorporate lavender to these. Can you send me a brief how-to? Thanks much!
Thanks, I like the honey, also–a nice compliment to the lemon. And I also sometimes make meringues as well.
a great recipe, the honey adds a delicate and refined tone making the lemon all the more elegant. love the purity of the ingredients…the yolks thicken the pudding more than enough. i make these as lemon meringue pots de creme so that the egg whites have a home. thank you for this.
Great idea. Do make sure they are heatproof though. A relative used her beautiful old-fashioned tea cups and though the look was terrific several cups cracked–yikes!
Yes, they can be made several days ahead, then covered and refrigerated. Will be just as good!
Could these be made the day before?
Ruth, I have used ceramic teacups instead of ramekins for things like this. You might check your lotus bowls to see if they have a marking on the bottom indicating that they are oven safe, because I suspect they probably are.
Ruth, perhaps you could set the Pyrex cups inside the Asian lotus bowls you mentioned. Depending on the size of the lotus bowls, this might look great!
I have Pyrex custard cups, but they wouldn't look as pretty. Perhaps I can look for custard cups at 2nd Avenue.
Ruth, I don't know if the bowls would be oven-proof. Maybe you can Google on the topic and find out. Don't you have any of the Pyrex custard cups that everybody has???
I'm going to have to try this! I love anything lemon.
These really do look and sound wonderful. Thanks for the recipe. I do not have ramekins. I'm wondering if those Asian lotus bowls would work. Or are they not oven proof?