The Traveling Epicurean

CT Style Making Lemon Mousse Cups with Ryan Kristafer & Teresa Dufour!

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CT Style Making Lemon Mousse Cups with Ryan Kristafer & Teresa Dufour!

Making Lemon Mousse Cups with Ginger Cookie Crumble on CT Style this week with Ryan Kristafer and Teresa Dufour was the perfect way to bring in the weekend! Ryan loved this dessert so much last month when I had it on the show as a side feature I knew it had to be the star attraction this time around so everyone would know how to make it. It’s light, luscious and refreshing all at the same time and the crumbled ginger cookie gives it that extra special something.

Keeping on the lemon train I thought it was a great idea for this summer cooking segment to surprise Ryan and Teresa with my homemade Lemoncello. It is a digestive that’s served after dinner and coffee to aid in digestion. It’s an Italian family tradition served in many areas of Italy and in America. Teresa really loved the lemoncello so I wanted to make sure to include the recipe for it in this mailing below. I know you will all enjoy this one too!

I was first inspired by the Lemon Mousse Cups with the Ginger Cookie Crumble when my friend Barbara brought it to a neighborhood party! This recipe was acutally her mother Peggy’s reicpe so its a family recipe! I am grateful they are willing to share a recipe that’s been in their family for generations because it’s oh so delicious. Once you make this yourself you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

Here are some other dishes you may want to make to go with your Lemon Mousse Cups and Ginger Cookie Crumble and Lemoncello like Best Buffalo Chicken Dip, Panzanella, New England Clam Chowder, Chicken di Pollo or Eggplant Balls!

Ingredients for Lemon Mousse Cups w/ Ginger Cookie, Makes 8 cups servings:

  • 1 can “NESTLE CARNATION” brand only evaporated milk – chilled in freezer 1 hr!!!
  • 1 ¼ cup hot water
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 box lemon Jell-O
  • Juice from 1 1/2 lemons (1/4 c.  juice)
  • 1 heaping tbsp. lemon zest from 1 lemon
  • 1 box thin ginger cookies (Anna brand) – crushed

Directions:

  1. Place Anna’s Ginger cookies in a Zip-loc baggie and crush cookies to a crumble
  2. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of cookie into each dessert cup and set aside
  3. Whisk water, sugar, Jell-O, lemon zest and fresh squeezed lemon juice in a med. size bowl
  4. Jell in frig. approx. 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes until thickened but not solid
  5. Whip cold evaporated milk until thick, soft peaks about 7 minutes
  6. Add lemon mixture to fluffy evaporated milk mixture and beat 10 seconds,
  7. Then finish folding in jelled mixture with a spatula so as not to deflate too much
  8. Pour into dessert cups and sprinkle more crumbled cookie on top
  9. Chill until mixture is set (2 hours)

Ingredients for Lemoncello:

  • 3 lbs Myer Lemons, about 10 or 11
  • 3 c. 80 proof vodka or 100 proof grain alcohol
  • 2 c. simple syrup (2 c. water & 2 C. sugar)
  • Glass jar with lid (canning jar is good)
  • 2 Bottles with tops to store when finished

Directions for Lemoncello:

  1. Peel all the skins of the lemons with a sharp peeler so as to not to get any white pith, only the yellow skins
  2. Place all the lemon skins in a jar
  3. Add 3 cups vodka or grain alchol
  4. Let sit for 1 week to 1 month, placing out of the way in your kitchen, not in the sun
  5. Make the simple syrup adding 2 cups sugar to 2 cups water, bring to a simmer briefly just to melt the sugar
  6. Remove from heat as soon as the sugar dissolves and cool completely
  7. Strain the lemon peels and vodka into a large bowl with pour spout (using a fine strainer)
  8. Add in the cooled simple syrup, pour into bottles and chill some more
  9. Serve your Lemoncello in cordial glasses to be fancy or just regular shot glasses, ususally served after the coffee as a digestive (digestivo)
  10. Will last up to 1 year …but it probably won’t last that long 🙂