lemon curd
There are few things I love more than a nice, tart lemon curd. The trouble often is, while you can get some quite good store-bought brands, they're inevitably just too sweet for me. I realize this is mostly because I have a fairly low sweetness tolerance, but there it is. But in my defense, everyone I've served this to has said it's far and away better than what they've had from stores. Plus, it reminds me of our lemon meringue pie recipe (more on that in the future), so that's enough for me.
So after realizing I was never going to like store-bought curd, I compiled a few different curd recipes and adapted them down into something that would still be tart enough for my liking.
And now this is my go-to for any number of desserts. It's quite simple to make and can turn a simple dessert quite fancy in the blink of an eye. For example, I love to use it for a quick dessert with spiced berries and a dollop of whipped cream. I'll share that recipe in the coming weeks. It would also be wonderful sandwiched in a cake, plopped into pastry cups, served over ice cream, or even swirled in homemade ice cream.
So, without further ado, behold your secret dessert weapon:
lemon curd
yield: 1 cup of curd
INGREDIENTS
zest of two lemons
¼ cup lemon juice
⅓ cup sugar
half a stick of butter
2 eggs
pinch of salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Add the lemon zest and sugar to a food processor (this miniature version is perfect) and pulse until the zest has combined thoroughly with the sugar.
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and beat in the sugar and zest mixture.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Finally, add the lemon juice and salt and mix until thoroughly combined.
Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the curd thickens. This should take approximately 10 minutes or so.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and cool, then pour into an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
