Mother’s Day is next Sunday. If you are thinking about a gift for mom, this Meyer lemon souffle will sure impress her. When it comes to desserts, my mom prefers tangy than sweet or chocolatey. Therefore, I always think about making some kind of lemon desserts for mom on Mother’s Day. This souffle has definitely become one of my favorite lemon desserts. It is warm, fluffy, tangy and fragrant. Even though my mom is in Hong Kong and we are miles away from each other, I will make her this when we see each other next time. Happy Mother’s Day, mom!
Let’s talk about Meyer lemons. I have heard so much about Meyer lemons, but I never tried it until 2 weeks ago. I found a pack of Meyer lemons in Costco. After a week of exploring, I have tried at least 6 – 7 different recipes with Meyer lemons. When comparing Meyer lemon with lemon, I came to a conclusion that Meyer lemon is less acidic and it is more fragrant than a lemon. They are definitely great for desserts. The only problem is that they are seasonal and they are not easy to find all the time. I know that Meyer lemon season is coming to an end now. If you can find Meyer lemon, buy and try it. If you can’t, lemon will be fine as well.
Meyer Lemon Souffle (Adapted from Bon Appetit Desserts & The Little Ferraro Kitchen)
2 servings
Ingredients:
– 2 large eggs (separated), plus 2 large egg whites
– ½ cup milk
– zest of 1 Meyer lemon or lemon
– 3 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice or 2 tablespoons lemon juice
– ¼ cup sugar, plus more for ramekins
– 1½ tablespoon cornstarch
– 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
– ½ tablespoon unsalted butter (cut into small cubes), plus more for ramekins
– ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
– ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
– 1/8 cup powdered sugar, plus ½ teaspoon for decoration
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
- Butter 2 1-cup ramekins and coat with sugar. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine the sugar (not the powdered sugar) and meyer lemon zest. Whisk in the cornstarch and salt. Stir in the milk and egg yolks. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil until thick pudding forms, whisking constantly, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Whisk in butter, vanilla extract and Meyer lemon juice. Mix until smooth.
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat 4 egg whites on medium speed until it starts to get foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue whisking. When it has reached the soft peak, add the powdered sugar slowly. Whisk until stiff peaks form.
- Mix ¼ of the egg whites to the warm Meyer lemon mixture to loosen up. Fold in the rest of the whites gently. Spoon the mixture into the prepared ramekins. Fill to the top.
- Place the ramekins on a baking sheet. Transfer them to the oven. Turn the oven down to 375˚F. Bake until puffed, set, and golden around edges, about 16 – 18 minutes. No peeking. When souffles are ready, top with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
Tips:
- If you can’t find Meyer lemons, lemons will work perfectly too.
- Before starting with egg whites, make sure you have a clean and dry mixing bowl. And make sure your egg whites do not contain any egg yolk. If there is anything in the egg whites, it will keep the egg whites from expanding.
- You can prepare the soufflé ahead. When finished placing the mixture into the ramekins, chill them in the fridge for up to 4 hours ahead. Bake them when ready.
Yelena says
May 6, 2013 at 7:30 amPerfect looking soufflé and I love lemons!!! Looks so good!
Lokness says
May 6, 2013 at 12:26 pmThank you Yelena! I really like lemons too! Other than chocolate and raspberry, Iemon is in my top 3 dessert flavor. Tart and tangy dessert is a great ending to a meal.
Produce on Parade says
May 6, 2013 at 4:51 pmYum! I love Meyer Lemons. I love the little Loch Ness monster…so cute! Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I hope you find recipes to keep you happy and healthy 🙂
Lokness says
May 7, 2013 at 9:33 amHaha, I am happy to hear that you like the loch ness. That is my favorite part of my header. 🙂
Rosie @ Blueberry Kitchen says
May 6, 2013 at 5:39 pmYour souffle looks amazing! I still haven’t come across any meyer lemons, but if/when I do I would love to try this recipe!
Lokness says
May 7, 2013 at 9:38 amHope you will find them sometimes soon! I got mine from Costco. Meanwhile, you can use lemon for this souffle. It will come out great too!
lisa lawless (@lisaiscooking) says
May 7, 2013 at 7:24 amWhat a pretty souffle! I love lemon desserts, and Meyer lemon makes it even better.
Lokness says
May 7, 2013 at 9:40 amThank you, Lisa. Yes! Meyer lemon is something special. I just wish they can be found all year round.
Kelsey says
May 7, 2013 at 12:46 pmPerfect! I was just looking for a Mother’s Day idea, and there it was! I am having my mother and mother-in-law over for lunch on Mother’s Day and are both big lemon meringue pie fans so I know they are going to love this. Thanks for the great idea, I can’t wait to make them!
Lokness says
May 7, 2013 at 4:51 pmYou are welcome, Kelsey. It is so nice of you making lunch for your mother and mother-in-law. Have fun and enjoy the souffle! Let me know how it goes. 😀
CateyLou says
May 8, 2013 at 6:59 amYour souffle looks perfect!! So pretty. I bet it tastes amazing!!!
Lokness says
May 8, 2013 at 9:29 amThank you for your sweet comment, CateyLou. The souffle was warm and tangy. Even though my husband was sick of Meyer lemons, he still enjoyed the souffle. Hope you will give this a try someday.
FTC says
May 9, 2013 at 2:58 amHello! Can I use orange for substitution of the lemons?
Lokness says
May 9, 2013 at 7:59 amYes, orange souffle sounds really great too. If you want, you can also use grand marnier instead of orange juice. Enjoy!
Amy Tong says
May 12, 2013 at 11:03 amYour Meyer Lemon souffle looks divine. I would love to have one for Mother’s day. 😀 I love Meyer Lemons…I’m just glad that my In-Law has a few Meyer Lemon Tree with unlimited supply. 😛
Lokness says
May 13, 2013 at 12:07 pmThank you Amy. You are so lucky to get unlimited Meyer lemons. I will need to grow my own tree one day. Hope you had a great Mother’s day!
kale says
May 12, 2013 at 12:23 pmwow, that looks perfect!!
Lokness says
May 13, 2013 at 12:09 pmThanks a lot Kale. Nom, I love warm and fluffy souffle.
Jenn and Seth says
May 13, 2013 at 10:21 amso gorgeous!!
Lokness says
May 13, 2013 at 12:11 pmThank you, Jenn and Seth! A great meal needs to end with an amazing dessert. Hope you will try this tangy dessert.
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
May 14, 2013 at 11:17 amLook how perfect your souffle is! Pop up GORGEOUSLY!!!! I want to make this someday! My last souffle shot was chaotic, and I had to stay away from photographing souffle… LOL.
Lokness says
May 14, 2013 at 7:43 pmThank you so much, Nami. I made souffle once before, so my husband and I found out that they deflated very quickly. This time, we had the camera set up and ready to go. Once I took out the souffle, my husband was snapping away. But you can still see that the souffle deflated a little from the two pictures I have up on the post. I am sure you will have beautiful souffle pictures next time. 😀
Anna says
December 24, 2014 at 11:57 amThis was the first soufflé I’ve ever made and I was so so terrified but it turned out amazing!!so thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
Lokness says
December 24, 2014 at 12:08 pmAnna, I am very happy to hear your soufflé turned out beautifully. Soufflé sounds difficult and intimidating, but it is actually not that complicated. It makes my day to hear you and readers tried my recipes and the food came out great! Thank you for the feed back! Enjoy the holidays! 😉