HOW TO MAKE LEMON CURD

HOW TO MAKE LEMON CURD

This classic lemon curd is smooth, creamy and quick to make. Once cooled, the curd is great as a spread for biscuits, scones and muffins or as a filling for cakes or tarts.
>For something with slightly more tang and less buttery, opt to the Lemon Cream Recipe below.

1-1/4 cup white sugar
6 TBS homemade unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg
6 large egg yolks
freshly squeezed juice of 4 lemons

Place all of the ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan and stir with a spatula to moisten the sugar. Cook on medium-low heat and stir without stopping until the butter melts and the mixture thickens like custard; approximately 4 to 6 minutes.

It is ready when you can run your finger along the spatula and the curd doesn’t run into the track you just created with your finger. Don’t worry if it looks thin, it will thicken as it cools. Wrap tightly and cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator. Learning how to make lemon curd really is fun. Try the lemon cream recipe below; it's delicious.

LEMON CAKE RECIPE

LEMON CREAM RECIPE

This lemon cream tastes less buttery than my Lemon Curd Recipe, and a little tangier. Use it to make a tart, fill a cake, or serve it alongside cookies or bread.

1 cup white sugar
grated zest of 3 lemons
4 large eggs
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (4 to 5 lemons)
2 sticks plus 5 TBS homemade unsalted butter, cut into pieces at room temperature

Have an instant read thermometer, a strainer and a blender at hand. Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan.

Put the sugar and zest in a large heatproof bowl that can be set over the pan of simmering water. First rub the sugar and zest together between your fingers until the sugar is moist and very aromatic. Whisk in the eggs, followed by the lemon juice.

Set the bowl over the pan of simmering water and start stirring with a whisk as soon as the mixture feels tepid to the touch. Cook the cream until it reaches 180 degrees; whisking constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling. As you whisk, you’ll see that the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger and start to thicken; the whisk will leave tracks. When this happens it’s almost ready, DO NOT stop whisking - depending on how much heat you are giving the cream, it may take as long as 10 minutes to reach the temperature.

As soon as it reaches 180 degrees, remove from the heat and strain it into a blender; discard the zest. Let it sit at room temperature, stirring occasionally until it cools to 140 degrees; approximately 10 minutes.

Turn the blender to high and with the appliance running, add the butter - about 5 pieces at a time. Scrape down the sides as needed as you incorporate the butter. Once the butter is in, blend for another 3 minutes or until it’s light and airy.

Pour into an airtight container and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Before using it, give it a stir.