I’ve been thinking for a while that I’d like to post a few ‘college days’ recipes; you know, the ones that bring back fond memories of former roommates and good times. This is a nice time to post these recipes because April is the month for BYU graduation. Our family has a bit of a vested interest in the “Y”: my husband and my two daughters graduated from there, my first child was born while John was attending school there, and well, I also went to school there. I have a whole slew of extended family members who are either attending BYU or have graduated from there. Oh, and I met John there as well.
My last year at BYU two of my five roommates were a pair of sisters from Arizona. They came from a large family of 9 girls and 4 boys. They were really fun roommates who laughed easily, sang like angels, and were the most calm, peaceful people I have ever met. They made a great counter-balance for one of my other roommates, Connie, and me.
On Sundays the six of us roommates would have dinner together. Usually we would all pitch in and make a portion of the meal. One night, the two sisters, Lana and Noreen, volunteered to make dessert. They got really animated when they talked about ‘lemon bisque’, a family favorite. The rest of us had never heard of it. I can still remember the look on Noreen’s face as she told us with her sweet, angelic voice, “Oh you guys are going to love this. It is so light and airy and delicious you could eat it all night.”
Well…we just about had to eat it all night. Have you ever seen what happens when someone from a very large family cooks anything? There were two large baking sheets of lemon bisque…or was it three? We ended up inviting another 12 people over to our apartment for dessert and still had leftovers. I have to admit, though, it really was delicious.
The gelatin is allowed to partially set, then is whipped until light and airy with an electric hand mixer. Icy cold evaporated milk is whipped until thickened and frothy, then the gelatin and the evaporated milk are folded together. In Noreen’s words, it really is light and airy.
I have made a few changes to the recipe, just some finishing touches that I think add to the overall looks and subtle tastes of the lemon bisque. There is now a whipped cream topping which is sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs and finely grated lemon zest. This really is an amazingly light dessert, the perfect ending for so many types of meals. As a bonus, it has even passed the man test.
For other recipes in this series see:
College Cornbread
Chicken Spaghetti
Lemon Bisque
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 (6 ounces) box lemon gelatin powder
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice juice from approximately 1 medium lemon
- 1⅓ cups graham cracker crumbs can be made from approximately 1 sleeve of graham crackers
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 (13 ounces) can evaporated milk, thoroughly chilled NOT sweetened condensed. Suggestion: put the can in the refrigerator the night before.
- 2 cups whipping cream
- zest of 1 lemon Suggestion: before juicing the lemon above, remove the zest and set aside, covered.
Instructions
IMPORTANT: Place the evaporated milk in the refrigerator several hours or overnight before using in this recipe. Additionally, place a medium-sized mixing bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes or more before beginning Step 7.
- Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil.
- Sprinkle the lemon gelatin powder over the water and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Add sugar and juice of lemon, stir well.
- Transfer the gelatin to a medium bowl and put it, covered, in the refrigerator. Allow to thicken, but not until completely set.
- Meanwhile, remove 2 tablespoons of the graham cracker crumbs and set them aside for later use. Add the remaining graham cracker crumbs to a medium-sized bowl.
- Melt butter and pour over graham cracker crumbs. Mix well. Spread the crumbs evenly over the bottom of a 9″ x 13″dish or baking pan and press them firmly against the bottom of the dish to create a crust. Set aside.
- After gelatin has thickened, beat with an electric hand mixer until fluffy. Set aside.
- In a well-chilled bowl, beat cold evaporated milk until thick. Gently fold the whipped evaporated milk into the whipped gelatin. Spread mixture over the graham cracker crumbs. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
- Just before serving, prepare whipping cream, adding white sugar as needed to sweeten. Spread whipped cream on top of gelatin mixture. Sprinkle with reserved graham cracker crumbs and the lemon zest. Cut into squares to serve.
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