There is nothing like home made lemon curd. Thick creamy sweet and tangy spread that is so versatile that it is a staple in many households. I love anything that has lemon in it and lemon curd is my favorite thing to make when I have excess lemons at hand.
It can be used as a spread on toast on biscuits or biscotti. It can also be used as a filling for tarts or decorate desserts. I use lemon curd whenever I want something to cut through a supper sweet dessert.
Even though I mention “juice of three lemons” in the recipe, you can of course use more or less depending on the tartness/juiciness of the lemons.
Varying the amount of lemon juice you incorporate will intensify or mellow down the tanginess.
It is supper easy to make and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Use sterilized glass jars for this purpose. I re use jam and pickles jars. Wash the jars and lids with soapy water, clean thoroughly and them boil them submerged in water for about 15 minutes. Then leave to dry on a clean tea towel/paper towel.
The lemon curd would set as it cools down. So if you wan to fill tart cases, pour directly into the shells while still warm and let it set in the refrigerator. You can finish them off with meringue too.
Ingredients
- Juice of three lemons
- Zest of two lemons (optional)
- 1 cup sugar
- 125 g butter cubed
- 3 whole eggs
- 2 egg yolks
Instructions
- Whisk eggs, egg yolk, sugar and zest until a smooth paste like mixture is formed.
- Place in a heavy based saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the lemon juice and butter.
- Stir until all butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.
- Then whisk the mixture until it thickens up a bit (you will feel the resistance when you stir) and just starts to boil.
- This can take about 8-10 minutes.
- Let the mixture boil for a few seconds and make sure to stir all the while.
- Then take off the heat and pass through a sieve to get rid of any lumpy bits(mostly some cooked egg whites and some zest).
- Let it cool down and you will see it starts to set. This will set even more in the refrigerator when the butter begins to harden.
- Place covered, in refrigerator until you are ready to use or fill some mason jars and store in fridge up to 2 weeks.
