Brief life of the oyster, and a lemon
I was helping out the Larder section at work the other day, shucking a dozen oysters, and a thought occured to me. Picture yourself sleeping in your cosy little caravan when all of a sudden there’s a godawful hammering sound coming from above. The roof of your caravan rips wide open, you find yourself flipped over in your bed and someone squirts some lemon in your eye.
How weird would that be? What a story to tell all your oyster buddies, if not for the fact that the lemon often signals your demise.
I had a few lemons left from the last time I baked a cake, and so decided to revisit an old favourite recipe. Lemon delicious pudding is one of those desserts that never seems to go out of fashion in most people’s minds. Of course, you might not have made it in awhile because like me, you’ve forgotten how good it tastes and how much you love it. It is one of those comforting treats I want to eat while snuggled up on the couch, watching Mad Men.
Instead of a big bowl of pudding that you scoop a portion out of however, these puddings I made today are petite individual serves that retain everything that is good about lemon delicious. It’s a clever little recipe that is unbelievably easy. During the cooking process, a layer of curdy lemon forms on what becomes the top of the pudding after unmolding, while the spongey pudding below is impossibly light and moist. If you don’t like lemon, you can even substitute the required juice for a similar amount of passionfruit juice or pulp.
Another good thing about this recipe is that you can make the puddings ahead of time and reheat them by placing them in a water bath when the dessert compartment in your stomach is calling out to be filled. So, I’m including the recipe (apologies for the cup and spoon measures, but I didn’t get round to converting them into grams as I normally would) because I think you really really should try them. Even for those enjoying a spot of Summer sunshine at the moment, this pudding can be celebrated with a generous side of cherries or fresh berries.
Lemon steamed pudding :
(makes 6 (but I got 4 because I used bigger moulds); from Craft of Cooking by Tom Colicchio)
1/2 cup sugar, plus additional for dusting ramekins
2 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon plain flour
pinch of salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
finely chopped zest of 1 1/2 lemons
Heat the oven to 150′C. Butter and lightly sugar six 4-ounce ramekins. Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks, then set them aside. Sift the sugar with the flour and salt. In a mixer, using the whisk attachment, combine the buttermilk, lemon juice, egg yolks, and lemon zest. Gradually add the flour mixture, then fold in the egg whites. Divide the batter among the prepared ramekins. Place the puddings in a water bath (set the ramekins in a larger pan; fill the pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the ramekins) and cover with aluminium foil. Bake until the puddings rise and are almost firm, about 25 minutes, then uncover and continue baking until the tops are lightly golden and the puddings spring back when touched, about 15 minutes more. Unmold and serve warm alone, with fresh berries, or with berry compote.
[Note: The recipe calls for the mix to be put together in a mixer, but you can also do everything by hand with a whisk and a spatula, as I did]
Tags: lemon, plated dessert, pudding
Christy said,
July 31, 2008 @ 12:48 pm
Your plating is phenomenal!! What are the little globes made out of?
Y said,
July 31, 2008 @ 12:50 pm
Hi Christy! They are lavender rice cookies. Delicious on their own too – I snuck a little bag of them with me into the cinemas last night (we watched the Dark Knight)!
Anh said,
July 31, 2008 @ 4:00 pm
just absolutely beautiful!
Tian said,
July 31, 2008 @ 5:39 pm
hey Y, lovely as usual, how much time did you spend plating it?
Christie @ fig&cherry said,
July 31, 2008 @ 5:43 pm
A recipe, hurray! That is the fanciest lemon delicious pudding I’ve ever seen…
Love your eye for colour contrast in the plating. Just beautiful.
Y said,
July 31, 2008 @ 7:55 pm
Thank you everyone!
Tian : Hello! How are you
Funnily enough, plating takes like five seconds. It’s trying to catch the image on camera that takes forever! Our apartment is quite dark, so it’s tricky getting a decent shot sometimes. Not to mention the fact that I’m pretty bad at this photography thing. I’m just lucky that the boy owns a fairly good camera.
Jeanine said,
July 31, 2008 @ 10:13 pm
Wow, these look fantastic! Looks like they would be easy to switch to gluten free too…thanks!
Alexa said,
July 31, 2008 @ 11:16 pm
These look so beautiful. The way you present things is just fantastic. I’ve never made Lemon Steamed Puddings and now I have no excuse. Thanks!
linda said,
July 31, 2008 @ 11:20 pm
I will say it again, I so love your style of making desserts. Simple, elegant, different, dreamy, fragile.
So now I have to try your lemon delicious pudding (never heard of it before I have to say).
Marija said,
July 31, 2008 @ 11:46 pm
Everything is so beautiful! Looks like from a fairytale!
[eatingclub] vancouver || js said,
August 1, 2008 @ 2:12 am
Sensational. So delicate, so pretty, so sophisticated.
Naama said,
August 1, 2008 @ 4:57 am
I love thesr pictures, the dish looks so clean and the colors looks great! I never made steamed pudding brfore, and this looks so good, that I might take the chance
Madeline said,
August 1, 2008 @ 6:55 am
Wow, your photos are beautiful! I love lemon anything so I’ll be trying this very soon. Perfect for company given that you can make it ahead of time.
grace said,
August 1, 2008 @ 8:25 am
exquisite, not to mention mouth-watering. nicely done.
pea and pear said,
August 1, 2008 @ 10:33 am
If I were in my caravan, I would hope I was being shucked by an expert so I didn’t have to include being stabbed into the horror of it all!! Such a funny analogy, you made me laugh… then I saw your dessert. Yum, Y!!!!! This looks so tender-licious, I am going to make it tonight.
Ali
Eva said,
August 1, 2008 @ 12:39 pm
Aah, that’s the way to go when I want dessert but without loads of calories..;-) Love the little pebbles on the side!
Zita said,
August 1, 2008 @ 6:38 pm
I so love oyster, but your thought struck me a bit
, lemon pudding with lavender touch sounds super delicious 
Lorraine E said,
August 1, 2008 @ 9:20 pm
I desire any sort of pudding in this weather! I was a little scared that it was an oyster and lemon cake at first though when I saw the title and the first pic lol
cindy said,
August 2, 2008 @ 12:57 am
these are beautiful! i have heard them called many different things, but the result is always delicious.
Helen said,
August 2, 2008 @ 3:30 am
I think it’s definitely delicate and gorgeous enough to be a summer pudding. You actually made me laugh out loud with the oyster empathy – and that doesn’t happen very often! When I’m reading a blog I mean – I laugh out loud in real life all the time… Do oysters have eyes? poor little things. We ate a dozen each a few days ago. I think they must be one of my all time favourite foods and THE BEST hangover cure ever. It seems weird but it works a treat.
Cakespy said,
August 2, 2008 @ 3:59 am
Oh my, how delicious does that pudding look? I would love to try it!
HT said,
August 2, 2008 @ 9:15 pm
yo. exams are nearly over, and you two will be one of the first to know when they finally are – when I recover that is.
my sister’s boyfriend is sveeedish and he insists these are like amazing. have you heard of them? they’re a little… uh… unsophisticated though. swedes – complex etheral vodka, weird bready desserts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semla
courtney said,
August 3, 2008 @ 1:43 am
So delicate and beautuful. I amy try your idea with the passion fruit pulp and juice.
Vera said,
August 3, 2008 @ 3:14 pm
Y, I cried reading an oyster story! I’m never eating them again
The pudding is amazing! Are these little germs you are serving the pudding with homemade?
cathy x. said,
August 4, 2008 @ 10:21 am
homemade germs? ..what?! do you have a recipe for that too?
HAR HAR! i think when you grow up you’ll become a famous food columnist/ food stylist/ photographer/ recipe book compiler for major sydney mastheads. like m evans, miffy and donna all rolled into one! (although perhaps sans crazy purple miffy hair) don’t forget the little people!
oh how you make me laugh!
B said,
August 4, 2008 @ 12:54 pm
Recipe: Homemade Germs
1. Don’t clean the kitchen for a couple of weeks.
Enjoy!
cakebrain said,
August 4, 2008 @ 2:31 pm
Oh I just love your pics! the pudding looks divine!
the caked crusader said,
August 4, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
You have served these so elegantly – they look stunning
Lovely photos too
Ellie @ Kitchen Wench said,
August 4, 2008 @ 10:32 pm
Being the sucker for lemon that I am, I can see these adorable puddings near in my future
Y said,
August 4, 2008 @ 11:26 pm
HT: Haven’t heard of Semla before but it looks like a nice cream bun. Don’t think it endears itself to anyone though, if it contributed to the digestion problems of a Swedish King. Although maybe 14 portions may be overdoing it slightly.
Hi Vera! Did you mean the biscuits? If so, yes I made them
And don’t worry about the oyster too much – I’m sure it lived a good life 
Cathy: Miffy!?
Vera said,
August 5, 2008 @ 6:43 am
Oh, my … that’s quite a misprint… Of course, I meant GEMS.
Cakelaw said,
August 5, 2008 @ 6:59 pm
I love lemon delicious – my Mum always made it when we were kids. These little ones are so cute.
Tartelette said,
August 6, 2008 @ 4:05 am
Steamed lemon puddings are so comforting any time…but I am such a lemon freak I am totally blind when it comes to them!!
Lovely plating!
White On Rice Couple said,
August 6, 2008 @ 5:41 am
i’m excited about this already because it can be made ahead of time! Your photographs are just so elegant and beautiful, love your style!
I just love pudding too, it’s just one of my favorite desserts!
Mike said,
August 6, 2008 @ 8:55 am
That is a beautiful dessert! I love the distinct layers and that this can be done ahead. For me, usually the make well-in-advance dessert category just means ice cream, but that obviously doesn’t always finish a meal just right, lol.
W said,
August 6, 2008 @ 12:17 pm
Lemon delicious looks its name. Long time, no chat, Y! I bought a ticket to Sydney for New Years… are you and B going to be in town?
Dee said,
August 6, 2008 @ 5:41 pm
I love the freshness of lemons in every way, but especially in desserts. Lemon delicious puddings have always been a favourite, but yours are especially pretty with the crystalized violets. Stunning photos, too.
Clumbsy Cookie said,
August 6, 2008 @ 9:23 pm
I don’t think these would be out of fashion ever! It’s a good idea to bake them in little mini puddings as you did, because I would eat a whole container of it! Are those sugared pansies? Or violets? Well either way they look adorable!
Sophie said,
August 7, 2008 @ 12:50 pm
Very cute puddings
. I like the fact that these can be made ahead of time, too! I’ve missed your lovely posts. The flowers on the previous entry are beautiful!
Y said,
August 8, 2008 @ 9:18 am
W: Hello! Long time no chat indeed! I’m pretty sure B and I will definitely be in town for New Years. How long will you be here for?
Clumbsy Cookie: They’re violets from a couple of pots on my balcony
cathy x. said,
August 8, 2008 @ 11:50 pm
oh! oh! did the magic bean sprout yet?
miffy is a funny writer (and also funny looking) for time out magazine. she has her own little section in the food bit. apparently her fashion sense is even worse than mine! no way!
Miri said,
August 9, 2008 @ 12:14 am
This pudding looks amazingly tasty, and the photos are, as always, gorgeous!
pastrystudio said,
August 10, 2008 @ 1:23 am
This looks and sounds wonderful. I’m always searching for a new lemon high. Thank you for giving me a new reason to worship the lemon gods!
arfi said,
August 11, 2008 @ 2:31 pm
I should try this out as we’re having plenty of lemons up on the tree. Your pudding looks really delicate and creamy. Great presentation as well!
Katie said,
August 12, 2008 @ 2:06 am
I love any kind of pudding…how delicious! Great plating, too.
W said,
August 12, 2008 @ 7:37 am
I will be down from Dec 20 – Jan 5th. Might do a side trip to Brissy, but not 100% sure yet. Can you email me your current addy? I have it somewhere but this might be easier… m_ _m;;
mir said,
August 14, 2008 @ 9:32 am
I made this over the weekend, not as pretty as yours but definitely something I’ll revisit it very soon.
Y said,
August 14, 2008 @ 1:11 pm
Not as pretty? Why not? Did you take a photo?
W said,
August 15, 2008 @ 9:36 am
Mir! Are you going to be in Sydney over New Years as well?
Piggy said,
August 19, 2008 @ 6:22 am
Beautiful presentation! I love lemon, so I bet this pudding must be really yummy.
Lisa said,
August 20, 2008 @ 4:42 pm
Hello! I don’t usually do this kind of thing but I gave you an award on my blog (here). Don’t feel you have to participate, I just wanted to publicly say that I really love your blog
name said,
September 1, 2008 @ 2:25 pm
Good day!,
Alice said,
October 18, 2008 @ 9:52 am
A lovely presentation , I’m really impressed to see how you make pudding without any bread or brioche ^^
A good idea for an healthier recipe =)
Lyn said,
December 20, 2009 @ 3:14 pm
Hi Y Loved your recipe for steamed lemon puds! could you please confirm the amount of flour and was it just plain flour you used?
Y said,
December 20, 2009 @ 4:03 pm
Hi Lyn! Yes, it’s fantastic recipe, and it really does only require that little amount of plain flour, which is also why I love it so much
Lyn said,
December 20, 2009 @ 6:33 pm
Hi Y! Thankyou for replying so quickly I am going to make them for Xmas eve party they look so beautiful and I have been lucky enough to find some sugared violets to garnish with! I wish you and your family a beautiful Xmas and thankyou again for your help.
Y said,
December 20, 2009 @ 7:39 pm
Lyn, good luck and hope your guests enjoy them! And now that you’ve reminded me about this recipe, I think I will have to make it again soon.
Lyn said,
January 12, 2010 @ 10:28 am
Hi Y Just to let you know I made my little lemon puds on Christmas Eve. I served them on Villeroy and Boch ‘Wlidberries’ dinner plates with the sugared violets and some double cream, they looked very elegant for something so simple and tasty. If you have any other little gems like this I would love to hear from you!
Y said,
January 16, 2010 @ 2:16 am
Fantastic to hear that the puds worked out for you. And by the way, a passionfruit or yuzu version tastes equally delicious (just substitute the lemon juice for an equal quantity of strained passionfruit juice).