Citronfromage - Lemon Mousse

la ricetta in italiano qui

Still in  Denmark for a few days with  the Culinary ABC of the European Community (then it will be my turn hosting Hungary for three weeks! :-) 

One of the most characteristic and famous symbol of Denmark is the typical blue porcelain.
And the company that best represents it is Royal Copenhagen.
Founded in 1775, Royal Copenhagen is one of the world’s oldest companies, and for more than 235 years our products have been made with not only the deepest respect for tradition, but also the highest standards of craftsmanship. Today, Royal Copenhagen is a highly distinguished brand, renowned for its exclusive quality porcelain products and its immaculate design.
Browsing on their website it is very informative and quite touching to read the history (The Royal Porcelain Factory, which later became Royal Copenhagen, was founded as the result of experiments carried out by the pharmacist, Frantz Heinrich Müller (1738-1820), he was an expert chemist, specialising in mineralogy. He carried out experiments with hard feldspar porcelain made from quartz, kaolin and feldspar, and for many years he spent all his time and money on his little porcelain kiln), see artists who inspired decorations over the years, admire the marks and backstamps imprinted in all goods, imagine the smell of chalky porcelain clay, in a clever game of steps (over thirty pairs of hands!) to be moulded, painted, fired, glazed and packed to give us the finest porcelain in the world, still hand-painted and made ​​with ancient methods.

  When you buy a piece by Royal Copenhagen, you buy a piece of Danish cultural history.

Bing&Grøndahl was a Danish porcelain manufacturer founded in 1853 by the sculptor Frederik Vilhelm Grøndahl and merchant brothers Meyer Hermann Bing and Jacob Herman Bing. The trademark backstamp for Bing & Grøndahl (B&G) porcelains is the three towers derived from the Coat of Arms of Copenhagen. The company's Seagull dinnerware series became known as the "National Service of Denmark" in the 1950s when it was found in one tenth of all Danish households.
The tea service designed by Gertrud Vasegaard in 1956 was included in the Danish Culture Canon as a masterpiece of Danish design.
In 1987 the company merged with its primary competitor, the Royal Porcelain Factory under the name Royal Copenhagen.

In 1895, Bing & Grøndahl created the first in their series of Christmas Plates. Designed with a traditional winter scene in cobalt blue and white, the plates have been released annually for more than 100 years. Noted as desirable by collectors, this series became responsible for a large portion of the company's production.
B&G issued the first Children's Day Plate in 1985 (and fate was that it also marked the birth of my first son!). But despite its relative newness, it soon became one of the most sought-after and prized items for collectors of fine porcelain everywhere.
The intent of the Children's day Plate has been to portrait children's play and development - and then to share that joy with anyone who loves children, too.
The Plate is decorated by hand, and in relief, using the much acclaimed, traditional cobalt-blue underglaze technique, chiefly recognized as the same used for the Christmas Plate.
It is only produced in limited number. At the year's end, the original mold is irreversibily broken so that precisely the same edition can never be produced again.

I've always collected a Plate for each new baby born, and it always happened that every subject seems to fits like a glove for the character of each boy!

 1985 - the magical tea party
1987 - the little gardener
1988 - washing day
1991 - fun on the beach
1997 - bath time
1998 - little vendors

I'm still missing the last two, as when you pass up the right moment you hardly find them in regular shops, but thanks to Internet I now know how to complete my collection!

 

Citronfromage is a classic Danish dessert, that sort of smooth and (double) creamy custard.

To tell you the truth I'm not very fond of lemon, neither of whipped cream, so I found it too hard for my palate. Besides, I always have a strange feeling/behaviour with jellies, never know if it will work properly, always fearing of a bad result! So will give another try with a little arrangement to single quantities of the ingredients.

But it's a very delicate dessert, and easy to make, the sort to be served after a light dinner or at long lazy hot summer day.
Should be served with some more whipped cream on top (!) but suppose will be lovely with a fresh fruit salad too, perhaps monochrome in red.
As for Karin, my Danish cook confident, it should serve 4, but it's a good amount enough for 6.

Serving 6:

4 or 5 jelly leaves

5 eggs

3 or 4 tbsp sugar

grated lemon zest

juice of 2 lemons

2 dl double cream

 

Put the gelatine leaves to soak in cold water.
Whip egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale, add lemon zest.
Whip egg whites until stiff peaks form, whisk double cream to wipped cream and set aside both.
Remove jelly from water and melt in bain-marie (water bath), does not have to become hot, just warm enough to melt, then combine with lemon juice. Let cool a few minutes. Pour in a thin stream into the egg mixture and mix well.
When the mousse starts to set fold in the whipped egg whites first, paying attention they won't deflate, mixing with a spatula from the bottom to the top, and then the whipped cream.
Pour the mousse into a serving bowl or individual glasses and store into the fridge (covered) for at least 4 hours.
Just before serving decorate with lemon zest and if you are very fond of whipped cream add a couple of tablespoons more.

This recipe is my personal entry to WHB # 383
hosted by Simona from Briciole

both for English and Italian edition.

Thanks again to Haalo who manages greatfully all events,

to Bri for Italian edition.

Thanks again to Kalyn for her successfull idea!

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