Not much beats fresh homemade Lemon Curd. Tart, rich, sweet..all rolled into one. If you've shied away from making it- here is a great opportunity to give it a go. Being absolutely honest- while really easy- it is a bit of a labour of love as you have to sit and stir it over heat for around 10 minutes. If you can wrap your head around that- you will be paid back with a versatile treat that lasts a few weeks when stored properly.
How versatile I hear you ask? How about, yogurt topping, tart filling, topping for toast or scones, pie filling, school lunch treat, super impressive looking Holiday treat filling, granola toping, pancake topping, crepe filling, waffle topping, topping for pavlova, cake filling, macaroon filling, lemon berry trifle layer, lemon slice filling, brunch offering.... you get the idea.
Want to win Mum Of The Year? Bake up a few small pieces of puff pastry in a muffin tin or similar- store them in an air tight container- and for a few day- your lunch desert is done. Just put a scoop of lemon curd in the prepared pastry and pack in a lunch (example pictures below). Super easy!
What you need
4 large egg yolks (see note)
2/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon zest(about 1 lemon)
1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice (about 2–3 lemons)
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons (86g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (if you use salted butter- just decrease the added salt to a pinch)
Method:
Fill a pot with 2-4 cm of water and place a heat proof glass bowl** on top (making a double boiler) Bring to a boil. Once the water begins to boil, reduce to low heat to keep the water at a rolling simmer.
Place egg yolks, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt into the top pot of your double boiler. Using a silicone** whisk- mix until completely blended. Continue to whisk as the curd cooks. Constant whisking prevents the egg yolks from curdling. Whisk and cook until the mixture becomes thick, resembling the texture of hollandaise sauce, about 10 minutes. If curd isn’t thickening, turn up the heat and constantly whisk until the consistancy thickens.
Remove pan/bowl from heat. Cut the butter into 6 separate pieces, then whisk into the curd. The butter will melt from the heat of the curd. Pour curd into a clean prepared jar or bowl***. The curd will continue to thicken as it cools.
Refrigerate the covered curd for up to about 10 days.
**It is important to use glass/non metal- as the lemon and eggs will react with metal and your curd may pick up a metallic taste.
***If not putting into a sealed Jar- place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top so it is touching the top of the curd to prevents a skin from forming on top.
So yes- it is definitely a little bit of a labour of love- but it is actually really easy and has a versatile pay off. Let us know what you think!