Creamy Lemon Sauce

I’m not really sure what this lemon sauce is, which is why I decided to call it “lemon sauce.” It’s essentially a curd, as it includes the main ingredients of a curd and is made with the same method, but it is notably looser (runnier?). As curds are usually considered “spreadable” and I wanted something more “pourable,” I simply reduced the number of yolks that I would usually use in relation to the other ingredients.

Because I developed this recipe with the olive cake in mind, I switched out the usual butter that is mixed into a curd at the end for olive oil. It gives this super punchy, tart sauce a wonderful silky lightness and it’s in theme.

If you find yourself wanting to put this recipe to work in more ways than the one mentioned above, might I suggest - drizzling it over vanilla ice cream with candied nuts, using is as a pavlova filling, or spooning it over a warm blueberry scone.

Makes ~1 cup, enough for 1 olive oil cake

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup (110g) granulated sugar

pinch of kosher salt

1/3 cup (75g) fresh lemon juice, about 2 lemons worth

zest of 1 lemon

2 large egg yolks

3 tablespoons (45g) extra virgin olive oil

Method

  1. Place 1/2 cup (110g) granulated sugar, pinch of salt, 1/3 cup (75g) lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl. Whisk and set aside. Always mix sugar and egg yolks together immediately! (See note below).

  2. Fill a high sided pot with a couple inches of water, enough so it doesn’t boiled out but not so much that it touches the bottom of the bowl when placed over top. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.

  3. Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk consistently. This is to ensure the yolks are gently and evenly cooked.

  4. As you whisk and as the mixture heats up, it will begin to slightly thicken and may foam a bit. Continue whisking until you reach 179F.

  5. Remove from heat and stream in 3 tbsp (45g) olive oil while mixing until all combined.

  6. Pour sauce into a storage container and allow to cool in the fridge for about 2 hours. Alternatively, if you are pressed for time, you can keep the sauce in the mixing bowl and place that bowl in a slightly larger bowl filled with ice water. Stir continuously until mixture is cool, just a few minutes.

  7. Sauce can be served directly from fridge or pull it out to temper about 30 minutes prior to serving.

  8. Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days.

Additional Notes

  • So why should you always mix sugar and egg yolks together immediately? If they are left unmixed in the same bowl for more than a couple minutes, the sugar will “burn” the yolks. Sugar is hygroscopic, which is a fancy way of saying it can’t help but pull out any moisture in its environment. Therefore, if whole yolks are left in sugar, it will start to pull the moisture from the yolks, essentially curing the outside of the yolk. This will result in unpleasant chunks of yolk that will not dissolve or cook properly in your final product.

  • Lemon not really your thing? Or maybe you got your hands on some other incredibly delicious citrus? Use that instead! There’s a bit of troubleshooting to be done when swapping out citrus, just because the tartness vs sweetness can vary dramatically, but it’s nothing that a little sugar adjustment can’t fix. If you’re sticking with another super tart fruit, like yuzu or lime, the amount of sugar listed will work just fine (but don’t be afraid to adjust slightly to your preference, as this recipe is quite tart). If you’re venturing into orange territory, give the fruit a taste so you can discern the sweetness vs tartness, but chances are you will need to reduce the sugar by at least a couple tablespoons. If your fruit is particularly sweet, I would recommend adding just a little bit of lemon to the mix. Not so much that it tastes super lemony, but just enough to brighten everything up and give it a little punchiness. Like salt, acid is an incredible food enhancer.

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Olive Oil Cake