Lemon Curd

Smooth, luscious, and spreadable, a spoon of lemon curd is a spoonful of heavenly deliciousness. It captures the colour and flavour of the season. The combination of butter, eggs, sugar, and lemon juice creates an irresistible velvety preserve. Every time the jar is opened, endless possibilities abound to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Spoon over fresh berries, yogurt, or ice-cream. Incorporate into pastry shells for a quick and easy lemon curd tart. Fill choux pastry for an indulgent lemon curd eclair with dark or white chocolate icing or use as a cake filling. Spread on pancakes, waffles, or your favourite toast. Serve with pancakes or scones and cream. Be totally indulgent, dip a clean teaspoon into the jar, and eat straight from the spoon. An opened jar never lasts long.

Over winter, when the lemons are prolific, make some lemon curd for yourself and those special ones in your inner circle. Fruit curd is sometimes called fruit butter because of its spreadability but technically this isn't correct.Traditional fruit butter is made from sieved fruit and cooked with sugar until set. Having a softer consistency than fruit cheese, it can be spread on bread and butter and used in a similar way to jam. Rarely made today or commercially available, traditional fruit has virtually disappeared.

Preparation Time:: 30 minutes

Cooking Time:: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

250 ml: Lemon juice, strained

400g: White sugar

230g: Unsalted butter

4: Whole eggs, large

4: Egg yolks, large

METHOD

Lemon curd is cooked in a double boiler, or in a heat resistant bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. My top 3 tips for successful curd are (1) strain the egg mixture, (2) keep stirring the mixture while it 's cooking and (3) never let it boil.

Cut the lemons in half across the diameter and juice. Strain and place into the bowl.
Set the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and add the sugar and butter.
Stir gently until the sugar and butter have completely dissolved.
Place the whole eggs and egg yolks in a separate bowl and gently whisk until they are thoroughly combined. No egg white should be visible in the mixture.
Strain into the lemon mixture and stir constantly over the heat until the curd thickens and lightly coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Remove from the heat and continue to stir for a few moments as the curd will continue to cook and thicken.
Pour into small warmed sterilised jars to at least 1 cm (1/2 inch) from the top.
Completely cover the surface with the prepared waxed paper disc. Using your fingers, press gently and smooth the disc across the curd surface to remove any air pockets.
Label and store in the fridge.
Use within 3 months and check regularly for any contamination or mould.

NOTES

To wash the fruit, I use a pair of Skrub’s vegetable gloves. A wonderful invention made of a slightly course material that magically scrubs fruit and vegetables with the greatest of ease. Easy to wash and dry, they are an indispensable item in my kitchen. Special thanks to my very dear friend Sue, who found them in a cookware shop. Alternatively, use a kitchen vegetable brush.
Have warm sterilised jars and waxed discs cut to size and all ingredients weighed and ready before commencing. To make waxed paper discs, first make a template. Trace the bottom of the your preserving jar onto a piece of waxed paper. Cut out and test that it will sit neatly inside the jar on top of the curd. Adjust size to make sure it's a secure fit. Using this as your template, cut enough waxed paper circles for your batch
Unsalted butter is recommended when making fruit curds.
Gently rolling the lemons across a hard surface breaks open the fruit membranes that contain the juice. This helps to release as much juice as possible.
Straining the whisked egg mixture helps to remove any unbeaten egg white. If left in the mixture, during the cooking process, it will cook and leave a white streak in the final fruit curd.
Lemon curds should always be made in a heat resistant bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Also known as cooking over a double boiler, it disperses the heat gently across the bowl. This helps to thicken the egg mixture gently, without curdling, if it’s stirred continually. Do not allow the mixture to boil otherwise it will curdle, producing lemon flavoured scrambled eggs.
Fruit curd is made from a high proportion of eggs and butter, which does not make it suitable for room temperature storage. It’s better to make small quantities and always, always store in the fridge. Use within 3 months. I must admit it doesn’t last that long at our place once the jar is open. .
Variations: Any citrus flavour, orange, blood orange, mandarin, tangelo, lime, grapefruit, or passionfruit

Lemon Curd

Preparation Time:: 30 minutes

Cooking Time:: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

Lemon juice, strained: 250 ml

White sugar: 400g

Unsalted butter: 230g

Whole eggs, large: 4

Egg yolks, large: 4

METHOD:

Cut the lemons in half across the diameter and juice. Strain and place into the bowl.
Set the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and add the sugar and butter.
Stir gently until the sugar and butter have completely dissolved.
Place the whole eggs and egg yolks in a separate bowl and gently whisk until they are thoroughly combined. No egg white should be visible in the mixture.
Strain into the lemon mixture and stir constantly over the heat until the curd thickens and lightly coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Remove from the heat and continue to stir for a few moments as the curd will continue to cook and thicken.
Pour into small warmed sterilised jars to at least 1 cm (1/2 inch) from the top.
Completely cover the surface with the prepared waxed paper disc. Using your fingers, press gently and smooth the disc across the curd surface to remove any air pockets.
Label and store in the fridge.
Use within 3 months and check regularly for any contamination or mould.

NOTES:

To wash the fruit, I use a pair of Skrub’s vegetable gloves. A wonderful invention made of a slightly course material that magically scrubs fruit and vegetables with the greatest of ease. Easy to wash and dry, they are an indispensable item in my kitchen. Special thanks to my very dear friend Sue, who found them in a cookware shop. Alternatively, use a kitchen vegetable brush.
Have warm sterilised jars and waxed discs cut to size and all ingredients weighed and ready before commencing. To make waxed paper discs, first make a template. Trace the bottom of the your preserving jar onto a piece of waxed paper. Cut out and test that it will sit neatly inside the jar on top of the curd. Adjust size to make sure it's a secure fit. Using this as your template, cut enough waxed paper circles for your batch
Unsalted butter is recommended when making fruit curds.
Gently rolling the lemons across a hard surface breaks open the fruit membranes that contain the juice. This helps to release as much juice as possible.
Straining the whisked egg mixture helps to remove any unbeaten egg white. If left in the mixture, during the cooking process, it will cook and leave a white streak in the final fruit curd.
Lemon curds should always be made in a heat resistant bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Also known as cooking over a double boiler, it disperses the heat gently across the bowl. This helps to thicken the egg mixture gently, without curdling, if it’s stirred continually. Do not allow the mixture to boil otherwise it will curdle, producing lemon flavoured scrambled eggs.
Fruit curd is made from a high proportion of eggs and butter, which does not make it suitable for room temperature storage. It’s better to make small quantities and always, always store in the fridge. Use within 3 months. I must admit it doesn’t last that long at our place once the jar is open. .
Variations: Any citrus flavour, orange, blood orange, mandarin, tangelo, lime, grapefruit, or passionfruit