Lemon Creme Brûlée

Lemon Creme Brûlée + Low-Carb, Keto Option – quick and easy to make, fresh, smooth and creamy dessert, that is perfect for summer.

You have the option to make this dessert in ramekins or in lemon shells.

This fancy dessert is naturally gluten free.

Lemon Desserts in Lemon Shells have been very popular this summer.

I don’t usually follow and jump to make all Tik Tok recipe trends, but I’m in love with lemons and had to share this Lemon Creme Brûlée Recipe with you. Everyone loved it! It requires just 4 main ingredients and I can say it is foolproof method for a restaurant quality dessert, that can be made at home.

Following this recipe, you can also make orange flavored creme brûlée dessert as well.

How To Make Lemon Creme Brûlée (In Lemon Shells)?

The recipe is simple. You prepare a Brûlée mixture and add some lemon zest and limoncello (optional) to it, to infuse it.

Then strain into ramekins or lemon shells.

Add to a baking dish, pour some water inside, to cover about 1/2 way through and bake for 30 minutes at 300 F/(150 C).

How do you remove lemon flesh, so you end up with the perfect lemon shells, to use as serving cups for creams or ice cream?

Wash whole lemons with warm water and soap, then dry with a towel.

This will remove most of the chemicals, used to spray the outside of them.

Cut with a sharp knife lengthwise.

Use a small paring knife, run it all around the flesh at the top to loosen it.

Use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out the flesh of the lemon.

Be prepared that lemon juice will be splashing all over the countertop and it may get a little messy.

Ingredients:

• Heavy Cream
• Sugar (or low-carb sweetener)
• Egg Yolks (from large eggs)
• Vanilla Extract
• Limoncello Liqueur
• Lemons (Zest and lemon shells)
• Brown Sugar (or Brown Low-Carb Sweetener) for the burnt top – even though you can make it with white sugar, you also have the option to use Brown, which will make the tops even more flavorful and caramelized.

Directions:

1. Prepare the lemon shells or (and) ramekins. Get a baking dish ready.

2. Heat heavy cream, until bubbles form on top.

3. Add some cream to the egg yolks. Whisk, then return the mixture to the remaining heavy cream.

4. Place the lemon shells in a baking dish. Fill each with the mixture (it will take around 3-4 tablespoons to fill each shell.

5. Add cold water tp the baking dish, to cover the shells about 1/2 of their height of the shells/ramekins.

6. Bake at 300 for 30 minutes. Even if the mixture is still wiggly on top, it will eventually set after if cools down. Cool completely and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

7. When ready to serve sprinkle low carb sweetener to sugar on top of the shells and using a pastry torch melt it.

How long can you store Lemon Creme Brûlée, baked in Lemon Shells in the fridge for?

If the dessert is made in ramekins, wait until it is completely cool, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Sprinkle with some sugar (or low-carb sweetener) and use a pastry torch to burn and caramelize the sugar on top.

Storing will be a little different, if you bake the dessert inside empty lemon shells.
In this case, keep them in the fridge for no longer than 2 days.

The shells might get soggy of start turning bad, even though they are kept in the fridge.

Another issue you may encounter is that the creme starts to absorb too much lemon flavor from the empty shells.

Recipe Tips:

• Use good quality, full fat (minimum 30 % fat) heavy cream. You can also use “Double Cream” if you are in Europe. It is much thicker than heavy whipping cream (48%) and the final result is extra rich and creamy.
• Make sure you are using good quality, real (not plant based) heavy cream and large egg yolks.
• Strain the cream mixture – this will remove the lemon zest and any lumps from the egg yolks.
• Use a water bath to make sure the brûlée turns smooth and prevent it from drying out and the lemon shells from burning.
• Use the right amount of sugar on top, to get the crunchy caramel effect. If you put too much sugar on top, when you burn it, you end up with a thick candy layer on top, that may even cut through your tongue when you eat it. The trick is to use just enough sugar to cover the top of the dessert in a single, thin layer. Then you can swirl it on top and shake off the extra sugar. For a small lemon shell, this should be between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon. For a ramekin, it may me around 1 teaspoon.
• Try to not heat the torch too much, when melting the sugar on top and move it constantly, to prevent one side browning more than the other. Always use a kitchen (pastry) torch with caution.

More Lemon Recipes:

• Easy Limoncello Spritz Recipe
• Keto Lemon Bars
• Lemon Keto Cheesecake