Lemon Curd

 

I was going to skip over this recipe for lemon curd and go right to the delicious layer cake I made with it instead. After all, you could just use any jar of purchased lemon curd in its place if you want to. I’m one of those people who will make something from scratch when I can, however, and so I’ll talk to you briefly about this recipe.

It really isn’t difficult to make your own lemon curd. It’s kind of like making pudding from scratch (like this one or this one). There are just a few ingredients, lemons, sugar, eggs, butter, and a splash of vanilla. The trick is to keep whisking things as the mixture cooks, avoiding lumps as well as scorching.

This particular recipe is quite tart, so I find it particularly nice with something sweet (like the layer cake I made). A good dollop would also be nice on something like these scones, or these scones, or even these biscuits, perhaps accompanied by a few berries and some whipped cream. You may be able to adjust the sugar in this recipe to make something sweeter, but I’m not sure if that will affect the texture of the final product.

Other citrus fruits also make good curds, and I’ve seen adaptations using pureed berries or pineapple juice. Each time I make lemon curd, which isn’t especially often, I think I should play around with it more, trying some of those other fruits in place of the lemon, or testing out other uses. Right now, though, I’m still having pleasant dreams about Lemon Layer Cake. I promise to tell you about that soon!

Lemon Curd

Adapted from several sources

This lemon curd is quite tart, and especially good for use in other recipes.

Zest of 1 medium-size lemon

1/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

½ cup lemon juice

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a medium-size saucepan, combine the zest, sugar, eggs and egg yolks. Whisk together until fluffy, smooth, and light in color. This could take 2 minutes or so.

2. Whisk in the lemon juice. Stir in the pieces of butter. Heat over medium heat, whisking occasionally. Continue to heat and whisk until the butter is melted.

3. Once the butter has melted, whisk constantly. The mixture will thicken significantly, then begin to bubble. Once it bubbles, simmer gently for just a few seconds, continuing to whisk. Remove from the heat.

4. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Strain into a bowl if desired (I don’t usually bother). Cool completely.

Makes about 1 ½ cups lemon curd.

Other recipes like this one: Applesauce, Blackberry Sauce with Lime and Vanilla, Blueberry Rhubarb Sauce, Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce