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Preparing the lemons: Wash the lemons well. Cut off the ends (about 1-1.5 cm). Carefully remove the insides with a small spoon or knife, leaving a small opening of approx. Leave a crust about 0.5 cm thick. Be careful not to damage the skin. Set aside the grated lemon pulp (you can use it for other recipes, such as lemonade, for example).
To make the cream: In a bowl, mix the mascarpone (or fresh cream), condensed milk and powdered sugar (if using). Add the fresh lemon juice and vanilla extract. If using egg yolk, mix that in as well.
Beat the cream with a hand mixer or electric mixer until smooth and frothy. Taste and add a little more powdered sugar or lemon juice, if necessary.
Filling the lemons: Fill the hollowed-out lemons with the creamy filling. You can use a spoon or a piping bag for a better result.
Cooling: Place the stuffed lemons on a baking tray and refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hours so that the cream hardens and the lemons cool completely.
Serving: Before serving, you can decorate the stuffed lemons with fresh mint leaves, grated lemon zest or a little powdered sugar.
Tips and variations:
Creamy version: If you use cream instead of mascarpone, it is very important that the cream is cold and that you whip it with the powdered sugar until it becomes firm before carefully folding it into the condensed milk and lemon juice.
Softer cream: If you want a softer cream, you can add a little milk or cream to the version with mascarpone.
Flavouring: You can add a little grated lemon zest to the cream for a more intense lemon flavour, or even a little liqueur (e.g. limoncello).
Frozen version: You can also freeze the stuffed lemons. In this case, you will get a refreshing lemon sorbet. Let it defrost a little before eating.
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