SICILIAN LEMON PUDDING

⏲ Prep time ⏲ Cooking time Difficulty level Portions

20 min 40 min ★★★☆☆ 8

Ingredients

Base mixture

•             Whole milk — 500 g

•             Double cream — 200 g

•             Fine semolina — 60 g

•             Unsalted butter — 40 g

•             Caster sugar — 150 g

•             Eggs (whole) — 150 g (≈3 large)

•             Egg yolks — 40 g (≈2 yolks)

•             Lemon zest — 12 g (from 3–4 Sicilian lemons)

•             Lemon juice — 80 g

•             Vanilla extract — 3 g

•             Fine salt — 1 g

Optional garnish

•             Icing sugar — 10 g

•             Candied lemon peel — 20 g

•             Fresh berries — as desired

Cooking instructions

1. Infuse and thicken

• Heat milk, cream, lemon zest, and butter until steaming.

• Whisk in semolina and cook gently 3–4 minutes until lightly thickened.

• Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.

2. Combine the custard

• Whisk eggs, yolks, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth.

• Slowly pour the warm semolina mixture into the eggs while whisking.

• Add lemon juice last (prevents curdling).

3. Bake

• Pour into a buttered baking dish or 8 ramekins.

• Bake at 160°C in a bain‑marie for 35–40 minutes, until just set with a slight wobble.

• Cool 10 minutes before serving warm, or chill for a firmer texture.

Chef ’s Notes

•             Use Sicilian lemons if possible — their aromatic oils make a huge difference.

•             Don’t skip the zest infusion; it’s the backbone of the flavour.

•             Add limoncello (10–15 g) for a deeper citrus note.

•             Serve warm for a soft, spoonable pudding; serve chilled for a sliceable, almost flan-like texture.

•             Pairings: crushed amaretti, toasted pistachios, or a drizzle of honey.

•             Texture control: more semolina (up to 80 g) gives a firmer pudding; less (40 g) makes it silkier.