Pioneer
Lemon Snow Pudding
Elegant, frugal, and light as a cloud
This was the dinner party dessert of 1941 Moncton — a billowing white pudding of beaten egg whites and lemon, set with gelatin and served alongside a soft egg custard sauce. It required almost nothing in the way of ingredients, and it looked beautiful on the table. The IODE Fort Monckton cookbook records it as a dessert fit for company.
Source: IODE Fort Monckton Cook Book, Moncton NB, 1941
Ingredients
- 1 envelope unflavoured gelatin (2¼ tsp)
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 cup boiling water
- ¾ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 3 egg whites
- Pinch of salt
- 3 egg yolks
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1½ cups whole milk, scalded
- ½ tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Sprinkle gelatin over cold water. Let stand 5 minutes to soften.
- Stir in boiling water and sugar until completely dissolved. Add lemon juice and zest.
- Refrigerate until the mixture is the consistency of unbeaten egg whites — about 1 hour.
- Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt to stiff peaks.
- Beat the partially set gelatin mixture until frothy. Fold in beaten egg whites until fully combined.
- Pour into a wetted mold or serving bowl. Refrigerate until firmly set, at least 3 hours.
- For the custard sauce: beat egg yolks with sugar until pale. Gradually whisk in hot scalded milk. Cook over simmering water, stirring constantly, until the sauce coats a spoon — about 10 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and cool.
- Unmold the snow pudding and serve with custard sauce poured alongside.
✦ Kitchen Notes
- From the IODE Fort Monckton Cook Book, Moncton NB, 1941.
- The custard sauce can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.