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A friend sent me a text last week to say a relative of hers had brought some lemons home from the Canary Islands in her suitcase. Did I want some? Does a horse refuse carrots? (note to self- come up with better analogy!). I knew exactly what I was going to do with these aromatic yellow and greenish, slightly knobbly, full of flavour little gems.
Lemon is one of my all time favourite flavours. It is fresh and bright and uplifting yet lends itself to comfort food- lemon posset, lemon tart, lemon layer cake, lemon cheesecake- I love them all.
Lemon curd is incredibly useful to have around as a base ingredient for so many desserts. However, mine rarely makes it that far. I struggle to pass the fridge without diving for a teaspoon and plunging it into the jar…..heaven.
This is another recipe that is easy to make and surpasses even the most luxurious, expensive shop bought counterpart.
Now for a plea- don’t make the same mistake as I did when making it for these photos. Do NOT use a zester instead of a fine grater! I’m not sure what possessed me as I have a superb microplane fine grater but never mind. My resultant curd was still delicious but as my daughter (my lemon- loving ally) unflatteringly declared “its got annoying stringy bits in it”!
For sterilising the jars see previous post: http://scrummywalks.com/2013/06/18/sterilisation-jars-and-jam-equipment/
This recipe makes 4 small jars that keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. I advise against doubling up to make a big batch as it is harder to handle more mixture and get the thickened consistency without curdling. That said, it is a very easy recipe. The cooking curd needs frequent but not continuous attention. You will find that the mixture quite suddenly thickens after about 20 minutes.
Ingredients
The finely grated zest and juice of 4 lemons
320g golden caster sugar
125g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
4 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
Jars
4 small sterilised jars http://scrummywalks.com/2013/06/18/sterilisation-jars-and-jam-equipment/
Sterilise a spare jar just in case you have a little extra curd.
Method
1. Place a mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water. IMPORTANT- ensure that the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water.
2. Add all the ingredients into the bowl and stir until the butter has melted.
3. Stir frequently until the curd has thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon. This takes a variable amount of time but about 20 minutes is usual.
4. Pour into a pouring jug and then carefully fill the sterilised jars.
5. Screw on the lids and leave to cool.
6. Once the curd is completely cool, tighten the lids again and label. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. SCRUMMY!
Homemade lemon curd (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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