T&C: Lemon Olive Oil Mousse

I'm so glad I found the time to sign up and participate in this month's Taste & Create, the blogging event where you are paired up with another blogger and you try a recipe from your partner's site and they try one from yours. The last time I participated I made Grilled Wings with a Chipotle Dry Rub, and found a great new blog to follow Culinary Disasters. The boy loved the wings so much I've made them numerous times since. I was really looking forward to another winning experience with this month's go. My partner is La Recette du Jour, a lovely French & Mediterranean inspired blog. I had the hardest time picking one recipe to try but because of time constraints and a desire to use stuff I had on hand, decided upon a lovely Lemon and Olive Oil Mousse that looked easy and perfect to make amidst this insane heat wave we've been having here in Toronto.


Lemon & Olive Oil Mousse
adapted from La Recette Du Jour

finely grated zest of 1 untreated lemon
juice of 1 1/2 lemons
2 egg yolks and 1 egg white
1/4 cup fruity, good-quality Italian extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp acacia honey
2 tbs caster sugar
Mint & fresh blueberries to garnish

1. Put the egg yolks in a small, heavy pan with the zest and lemon juice. Heat gently, stirring constantly till it thickens to a custard consistency. This won’t take long; don’t overheat, or it will curdle.

2. Remove from the heat and stir in the honey and olive oil. Put in the fridge to chill. You can do this part in advance, even the day before.

3. No more than an hour before you want to serve the mousse, whisk the egg whites till stiff, then add the sugar and whisk till shiny and standing in stiff peaks. Fold into the custard mixture, spoon into 4 pretty glasses, and return to the fridge till ready to eat. Garnish with fresh blueberries and some mint.

I am so glad I chose to make this mousse it is so easy, light and refreshing. While it's not the fanciest dessert, the flavors are subtle and refined, making it impressive in flavor. The original recipe said 3-4 Tbsp of olive oil but the olive oil desserts I have had in the past really showcase the flavor of the oil and I wanted that here so I went the a full 1/4 cup (the equivalent of 4 Tbsps). While the tartness of the lemon was in the forefront here, I'm glad I went with the larger quantity of oil because it gave a really nice underlying olive oil flavor that made the dish for me. All in all this was a winner and one I expect to make for our next dinner party. The boy was working last night when I finished this off so I don't have his verdict on it. But I like it and I liked making it and that's what really matters, right?

One note on portions, La Recette du Jour said this recipe made 4 portions, I actually only got 2 out of it, but that could be attributed to my warped American sense of portions and the glasses I used for serving. But it was so tasty that I had no problem eating half of it! Enjoy!