Tuesday's with Dorie: Lemon Cup Custard

I have to admit that I was worried about this week's recipe after I read the  P&Q section on the TWD blog.  Most people thought the custard was eggy and that lemon flavor was weak.  Reading that was a bit of a let down because I love the flavor of lemon.

I determined right then and there that I was not going to let this recipe fail.  I was going to give it a bailout even before it got a chance to go down the tubes.  So I began searching for lemon custard recipe's on the Internet.  I found one that had the exact same ingredients with the same proportions as Dorie's recipe with one exception: add the juice of two lemons.  The answer was so obvious, and it is what I wanted to try anyway.  I just didn't know how much lemon juice to add.

I wonder why Dorie suggests adding lemon extract or oil of lemon to boost the flavor.  Why not add the juice of the lemon we just took the zest from?  She only asks for the zest of one lemon, but still, I think it is better to have the real thing instead of lemon extract (which is 83% alcohol anyway) or oil of lemon--whatever that is.

Well, the custard turned out fabulous!  It's easy to make and all you need is whole milk, eggs, lemons and sugar; if you'd like, you can add a little powdered sugar on top like I did.  I'd say it's a fairly healthy dessert!

I've already made this recipe twice and I will be making it again.  Thanks to Bridget of The Way the Cookie Crumbles for choosing this week's recipe.  Be sure to check out her blog for the recipe!

P.S. Mine didn't giggle after baking for about 40 minutes, and after reading some comments about the dessert being too egg-like, I'm glad it didn't giggle. :)