Name: Tangy Lemon Mousse
Ingredients: ½ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice; 2 tsp finely-grated lemon zest; 1 cup white granulated sugar; ¼ cup pasteurized egg product, or 2 pasteurized egg yolks , beaten; 1 pinch of salt; ¼ cup butter , melted; 2 cups heavy cream , whipped to soft peaks

Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓

Tangy Lemon Mousse

Time20 minutes

Ingredients

½ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp finely-grated lemon zest
1 cup white granulated sugar
¼ cup pasteurized egg product, or 2 pasteurized egg yolks , beaten
1 pinch of salt
¼ cup butter , melted
2 cups heavy cream , whipped to soft peaks

Directions

Combine all ingredients except for whipped cream.
Gently fold in the whipped cream.
Refrigerate for 20 minutes and serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

292Calories

7 gProtein

22 gFat

17 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,516 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together43,450 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Lemon + buttertop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,227 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together118,967 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together98,233 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Lemon juice: Adds tartness that balances the sugar and gives the mousse its bright flavour.
Egg yolks: Thicken the lemon base and add richness to the mousse.
Heavy cream: Whipped into foam, it traps air and gives the mousse its light, airy structure.
Sugar: Sweetens the mousse and balances the sharpness of the lemon juice.
Butter: Adds fat for a smooth, rich mouthfeel.
Lemon zest: Adds concentrated lemon aroma and oils for fragrance.

The step that matters

Gently fold in the whipped cream. Whipped cream holds its air through trapped fat and protein networks. Vigorous stirring deflates it, so the mousse turns dense and loses lightness. Fold slowly with a spatula, cutting down through the middle and turning the bowl, until no streaks remain.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, butter, cream):

Vanillafits better
Strawberryfits about as well
Raspberryfits about as well
Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, butter, cream. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Tangy Lemon Mousse