Tangy Lemon Curd
On a cold wet day in March nothing brings a hint of the bright, warm spring days to come than filling my kitchen with the uplifting & sharp tang of freshly grated lemons. Just a few lemons will add a pleasing scent to the air but, zesting up a good batch of lemons will permeate the whole house, filling it with their uplifting scent.
I always seem to be drawn to make a fresh batch of lemon curd around Easter time - perhaps it all the eggs and a relationship with spring colours - i.e.yellow - that seem to be everywhere, that sets my mind thinking of making a few jars - well whatever the reason I love making it, it's a surprising easy recipe as long as you don't get carried away and over stir it!
Recipe to make 500g
.4 unwaxed lemons, zest and juice
200g caster sugar
100g unsalted butter - cut into cubes
3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
2 x 250g sterilised jars
What to do -
Put the lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar into a heatproof bowl. Sit the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water - make sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl or it will cook unevenly. Gently warm the sugar lemon mix and then add the butter cubes. Move the mixture sparingly and very gently back and forth with a wooden spoon, until all of the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
Mix the eggs and egg yolk together with a fork until completely combined. Stir them into the lemon mixture. and whisk gently until all of the ingredients are combined.
Now leave to cook for about 12 minutes, stirring once in a while with a spoon - do this gently and very occasionally you don't want to end up with a lemon flavoured scrambled eggs! Cook until the mixture is creamy and will coat the back of your spoon.
Once you're happy with the set, remove from the heat and allow to cool, stirring now and again as it cools just to stop a skin forming. Spoon the lemon curd into the jars.
Lemon curd will keep in the fridge for up to 4 weeks and surprising it does freeze well in an airtight container.
Next to a very fruity raspberry jam, lemon curd is my go to toast topping and it's a very useful item to have in the fridge. Apart from said toast topping, it's good to add to plain yogurt or swirled through some vanilla ice cream. I often make it for a pavlova topping (it's a good way to use up some of the leftover egg yolks) or mix it into cream cheese for a quick and easy (cheats) cheesecake filling. Or you could even use it on a breakfast plate full of waffles.
So next time you're able to get to the supermarket or veg shop, take a look at the citrus fruit and bring a little bit of sunshine home to your kitchen - making a batch of lemon curd is so therapeutic in these troubled times.
enjoy your day
Lizx
top tip time
To sterilise jars, either wash the jars in very hot, soapy water then place the jars into an oven set to 160C/Gas 3 until dry (usually about 10 mins or so) Alternatively, put through the hot cycle of a dishwasher.