RSVP Redux: Meyer Lemon Budino

I've had my eye on this recipe for a month or so--ever since Barb mentioned her RSVP Redux project, which has bloggers make dishes from Bon Appetit's RSVP section and post them at the end of the month. For those not in the know, RSVP is a monthly column that publishes restaurant recipes  requested by readers. This Meyer Lemon Budino is from Delfina, an Italian restaurant/pizzeria located in San Francisco near Dolores Park and another favorite--Tartine. Budino is technically Italian for pudding, but that's about where the consensus stops. Budino can be custard-like, mimic a souffle, or resemble a pudding cake. One thing, however, is for sure--budino should be creamy and pack a flavorful punch, elevating pudding from lunchbox snack to decadent dessert.

As an aside, the consumption of these lemon budinos marked the official changing of the guard--my family has been replaced with the new roommates as the official Baking Barrister taste testers. Baked when they were at work, during one of my final days of unemployment, I left them on the counter with a note: Hi. I'm a lemon pudding thing from Bon Appetit. Eat me. It worked, and pure lemon goodness was had. We were most intrigued by the contrast of textures in this budino--the recipe is divided in half, part custard and part meringue. When mixed together and baked, the two parts separate, leaving you with a meringue topped custard.  I would recommend this to anyone needing to whip up a quick and flavorful dessert--it's satisfying and takes 45 minutes from prep to finish.

Now go look at the pretty pictures.