Meyer Lemon Semifreddo and Some Macarons

As you know, I had a bag full of meyer lemons that I received over the weekend. After reading all your suggestions, all I can say is that I wish I had a couple more bags. My brain was spinning with all of those ideas. Sometimes I wish certain fruits were available all year round but again, there is something so exciting about waiting. It makes us appreciate that moment even more.

I have been having fun lately playing around with different presentations of the same recipe and for some reason, I keep coming back to frozen desserts and macarons. It must be the Spring-like weather we are having.

Sometimes I think that I could really just spend my days making macarons. All colors and flavors, a la Pierre Herme or Stephane Glacier. Have the windows wide open, a cool breeze coming in and piping all day long while I listen to The Beatles’ “White Album”.

I decided to make a simple meyer lemon curd with all those lemons and turn that curd into a meyer lemon semifreddo. Some in ring molds and some in my over-used recycled yogurt containers. Yes, I know. Overused. But so lovely.

For the macarons, I used my regular macarons recipe but added yellow food coloring and some zest. For the filling, I mixed about two thirds vanilla buttercream with about a third of the lemon curd and some extra zest. So refreshing and colorful. Can you tell I love yellow?

Meyer Lemon Curd

100 grams eggs
35 grams sugar
100 grams meyer lemon juice
Zest of 1 meyer lemon
10 grams butter, room temperature

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, juice and zest. Cook this mixture in a double boiler until it thickens (84C).

Strain into a clean bowl and chill it over an ice bath until it is about body temperature. Add the room temperature butter and mix with a hand blender until an emulsion is form (it will turn a bit lighter in color). Refrigerate until ready to use.

Pate a Bombe

110 grams sugar
30 grams glucose
55 grams water
40 grams egg yolk

Place the egg yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer and start whipping until light and thick.

In the meantime, place the sugar, glucose and water in a small saucepan and cook to 240F. Add the sugar syrup to the whipped yolks in a slow and steady stream pouring on the side of the bowl. Continue whipping in high until egg yolks thick and cooled.

Meyer Lemon Semifreddo

110 grams pate a bombe (about the full recipe described above)
6 grams sheet gelatin
80 grams meyer lemon curd
Zest of 1 meyer lemon
220 grams heavy cream, soft peak

Soften the gelatin in ice water for 5 minutes. Add about 3 Tbs of the heavy cream to the softened gelatin and microwave for about 10 seconds until the gelatin melts into the cream. Add this gelatin into the rest of the soft peak heavy cream and whisk rapidly until the gelatin is incorporated.

Fold a third of the heavy cream into the pate a bombe and mix well. Fold in the rest gently.

Fold the meyer lemon zest and curd into the base leaving some streaks visible.

Pour into molds and let it set in the freezer.