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Lemon Curd
Lemon curd is like a smooth, soft, and creamy lemon jam. It originated in England in the 1800s. It was traditionally served with scones or bread at afternoon tea, as an alternative to jam, but it now has broad use as a filling or topping for tarts, pies and cakes or as a component of mousses, ice creams and parfaits.
Lemon curd is made of five ingredients – with egg yolks giving it a rich, vibrantly yellow color and the lemon juice and zest giving it a bold and tangy flavor. I usually make a small batch as it has a short shelf-life.
Recipe below.
Lemon curd is made of five ingredients – with egg yolks giving it a rich, vibrantly yellow color and the lemon juice and zest giving it a bold and tangy flavor. I usually make a small batch as it has a short shelf-life.
Recipe below.
More Details
Lemon Curd
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cook time 8 minutes
Makes about 280 grams (or about 10 ounces)
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks
- 150 grams (¾ cup) sugar
- 56 grams (½ stick or 4 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature and cut into small pieces
- Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated if possible
- 80 milliliters (⅓ cup, from about 1½-2 lemons) freshly squeezed lemon juice
Method
- Measure all the ingredients.
- Fill a pan with water that is large enough to allow a medium stainless-steel bowl to fit snugly on top of it without touching the water. Place the pan over high heat and bring the water to a strong simmer. The curd will be cooked using a double boiler or bain-marie method because cooking it over direct heat quickly leads to burned or scorched curd.
- Combine all the ingredients in a medium stainless-steel bowl and immediately whisk together; otherwise, the yolks will quickly dry out or “burn” from the unmixed sugar and juice, resulting in lumps in the finished recipe.
- Quickly place the bowl over the pan of simmering water and cook for about 5-8 minutes, whisking continuously throughout to prevent the yolks from curdling. Make sure that the bowl does not touch the water or the direct heat also may curdle the eggs. The curd is done when the mixture is creamy and slightly thick, coating the back of a spoon and is the consistency of hollandaise sauce. The curd will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Remove the curd from the heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer into a clean bowl or container to remove the zest and any lumps. Cover the warm curd with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming as it cools.
- When the curd is completely cool, use as directed in the recipe or store, tightly covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Published: 10 July 2021
