Lemon Sponge Pudding

I love lemon. Love it. I'll eat anything made with lemon. The more lemon-y it is, the better. I discovered this recipe in a Canadian Living magazine a few years ago and have made it often. It's simple and absolutely divine.

Here is the recipe: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/lemon_sponge_pudding_for_two.php

It can easily be doubled, which I did for this. It took all of my willpower not to consume the last little ramekin of sponge pudding immediately after eating mine. And, uh, the remainder of Charlie's.

So for the DOUBLED recipe, you need 2/3 cup of sugar, and four tablespoons of it go into a bowl. In we go!



Next comes two tablespoons of flour and a pinch of salt.

Whisk that together, and then in goes two egg yolks (put the whites in a clean, dry bowl), 2/3 cup of milk...

...and two tablespoons of melted butter. Darn, I should have used up that manicure gift certificate before doing this.

Whisk it all up and add 4T lemon juice and 2t grated lemon rind. This is equal to about the rind and juice from one lemon.

Whisk it all together and set it aside. Now it's time to whip up those eggs whites and we're pretty well done. Whip them until they form soft peaks:

Then, while whipping, add sugar a little bit at a time. Beat until it forms stiff peaks. Now doesn't that look lovely?

Next take about a quarter of the egg white mixture and stir it into the lemon mixture.

Next, plop the rest of it in and fold in until it's mixed in.

Pour the mixture into prepared ramekins and place them in a shallow baking dish. Pour boiling water around the ramekins until the water is halfway up the sides.

Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes and VOILA:

I seriously cannot express how delicious this is. The top forms a fluffy, spongey mousse with a tangy lemon cream at the bottom. I could eat this every single day of my life.

Kid verdict: not bad. He eats about half of it every time. I can't say for sure it does not have adverse reactions; about twenty minutes after he ate it, I had to rescue him from the top of the wood-pile, where he was precariously perched, trying to see the dog through the window. We'll blame that one on his father and not the lemon dessert. ;)

Enjoy!