Lemon Confectioner's Custard
This recipe is for a confectioner's custard with a difference: it's a little less sweet than the classic confectioner's custard (crème pâtissière, or french pastry cream) and has double lemon flavour, using both zest and juice, for plenty of tangy lemon taste.
It's the perfect filling for lemon tarts, of course, but also verrines, profiteroles, eclairs, etc.
It's the perfect filling for lemon tarts, of course, but also verrines, profiteroles, eclairs, etc.
226 K 3.9/5 (52 reviews)
25 min.
Easy
2.15 €
350 g
6 IngredientsLast modified on: May 9th 2018
For 350 g, you will need:
- 1
250 ml milk - 2
1 lemon - 3
½ vanilla pod - 4
3 egg yolks - 5
30 g caster sugar - 6
20 g cornflour - Total weight: 495 grams
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 9 min.
Cooking: 15 min.
All in all: 25 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - ⌛ 2 min.
Stage 2 - ⌛ 1 min.
...and add ½ vanilla pod. Mix well.
Stage 3 - ⌛ 7 min.
Bring to the boil on medium heat.
As soon as the milk comes to the boil, take off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 15 minutes.
As soon as the milk comes to the boil, take off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 15 minutes.
Stage 4 - ⌛ 3 min.
Stage 5 - ⌛ 1 min.
Pour the milk, while it is still hot, onto the egg yolks through a sieve to remove the lemon zest (which has a rather unpleasant texture in the mouth). Stir to mix thoroughly.
Stage 6 - ⌛ 7 min.
Pour the mixture back into the pan, put on low heat and leave to thicken while beating continuously.
Stage 7 - ⌛ 2 min.
Once the custard has thickened, leave to cook for 10 minutes uncovered, then add the lemon juice and beat in rapidly with the whisk.
Your lemon confectioner's custard is ready.
Your lemon confectioner's custard is ready.
Stage 8
If you want to cool the custard quickly, even very quickly, do it like the professionals. See how in this video.
Remarks
To make a lime version of this custard, simply use a lime instead of the lemon.
Keeping: 1 or 2 days in the fridge, covered with plastic film.
Source: Based on recipe by Gaston Lenôtre.
How much will it cost?
- For 350 g : 2.20 €
Change currency:
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipeSee them all 6
Lemon and lime custard tart
This is a delicious version of the classic French baker's "flan", with the twin flavours of lemon and lime. It involves two different confectioner's custards poured one on top of the other. This gives an attractive layered effect when the tart is cut. Not just pretty, it is delicious.
83 K 3 hours 15 min.
Ramekins with almonds, apples and lemon
A small individual dessert in a ramekin with 3 layers: almond cream, caramelized apples and lemon custard.
29 K 45 min.
Strawberry feuilleté
This elegant French dessert is not quite a tart. The base is a circle of puff pastry baked and caramelized, then topped when cold with a thin layer of lime-flavoured confectioner's custard and beautiful fresh strawberries.
64 K3.8 45 min.
Lemon Meringue Pie Verrines
This is a new twist on the classic lemon meringue pie. All the elements are there: sweet crunchy bits, meringue and lemon custard, but presented in layers in a glass.
77 K5 25 min.
Clafoutis "Marie-Antoinette"
This "Marie-Antoinette" clafoutis is a lighter version of the traditional fruit-in-batter baked dessert, almost a soufflé, with apples and lemon. The apples are sautéed in butter and Calvados, then combined with a lemon-flavoured confectioner's custard, lightened with raw meringue. This mixture is...
65 K4.9 1 hour 20 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Milk
Like these other recipes: Potato gratin, How to heat milk without it catching on the bottom of the pan, Chocolate eclairs, Lime crémeux, Dublin fruit scones, ... See them all 66
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: Saint Honoré cake, Fresh mint ice-cream, Fraisier (French strawberry cake), Rice pudding (riz au lait), Sautéed pears with custard and orange syrup , ... See them all 377
Cornflour
Like these other recipes: Caramelized pear custard tart, Gâteau Basque , Mushroom velouté, Chocolate eclairs, Mint and chocolate cream, ... See them all 33
Egg yolk
Like these other recipes: Pain perdu, Asparagus "en petit pois", Smoked eggs, Pistachio ice cream, Steamed leeks with morel sabayon, ... See them all 76
Other recipes you may also like
Tatin apples with mascarpone cream
Small pieces of apple cooked "tatin" style (caramelized in a pan) with a light mascarpone cream. November 20th 2011197 K4.3 1 hour 3 min.
Warm apple feuillantines
It's a rather long recipe but which never fails to impress, perfect for a special dinner party. It's made up of 3 circles: one almond "tuile", 2 of caramelized brik sheets, with a caramelized apple layer between each, whipped cream on top, and custard all around. Everything, except whipped cream, can be made beforehand. May 28th 2012341 K5 3 hours 9 min.
Foie gras cured in salt
This a quite different preparation from the terrine of foie gras, this time it does not go in the oven, the liver is salted for 48 hours and it "cooks" (or cures) in this way. December 23th 2017582 K5 2 days 16 hours 30 min.
Pears and caramelised walnut samosas
Samosas are small parcels of filling wrapped in brik (or filo) sheets and either shallow or deep fried. Here is a sweet version, with pears and caramelised walnuts. October 13th 2010347 K4 1 hour 25 min.
How to prepare sorrel
Here is how to clean and cut fresh leaves to use in a recipe, by removing stalks and central vein, to retain only the very best of the sorrel. October 6th 2010470 K3.3 35 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2026-04-12)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.