My repertoire of sweet lemon recipes is limited, but, as it happened, my friend, the Irish pastry chef JR Ryall, was in town, with his new cookbook Ballymaloe Desserts, for which I wrote the foreword. It contains a recipe for a homey hot lemon pudding. It’s not a soufflé, but it has a light, airy feel. And, as it bakes, it separates into distinct layers, custardy on the bottom and spongy on top.

Baked Lemon Pudding

Recipe from JR Ryall
Adapted by David Tanis

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon/15 grams unsalted butter, softened

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons/225 grams granulated sugar

• 3 large eggs, yolks and whites separated

• 3 tablespoons/30 grams all-purpose flour

• 2 large lemons, grated and juiced (about 2 tablespoons zest and 6 tablespoons juice)

• 1 cup/250 milliliters whole milk

• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

• Softly whipped cream, for serving

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees and set a rack in the middle of the oven.

Place butter in a medium mixing bowl. Gradually add sugar as you mash the mixture with a wooden spoon until it looks like damp sand.

Mix egg yolks into sugar mixture, then beat in the flour. Add lemon zest and juice, then whisk in the milk.

In a separate clean large bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold whites by hand gently into batter.

Pour mixture into a 5-cup ceramic or glass baking dish (or Pyrex pie plate). Bake in the middle of the oven for about 40 minutes, or until mixture is just set and top is golden brown. (Alternatively, bake in individual ramekins or custard cups for about 20 minutes.)

Serve warm, dusted with confectioners’ sugar, with softly whipped cream alongside.

Total time: 1 hour, serves 4-6.

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