When Life Gives You Lemons… Make Lemon Curd!
What to do with a plethora of beautiful juicy lemons? There is, of course, just so much lemonade your dentist will allow you to drink (sugar and acid!). Here is something very British-teatime that you can do with those wonderful fruits, that you can also give to friends as a wonderful gift: Lemon Curd. You can also make curd from limes, oranges, and even passionfruit. This recipe is for lacto-ovo vegetarians, not vegans, because it contains eggs and butter.
- For one cup (may be increased; I usually make it x 6):
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel (then mince)
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup margarine or butter
- 2 beaten eggs
- In a medium saucier pan (rounded bottom rather than square, which is a sauce pan), combine the sugar and cornstarch.
- Stir in lemon peel (I use a microplane grater, then mince the peel so its very small) and lemon juice.
- Add butter.
- Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until thick and bubbly.
- Carefully whisk half the lemon mixture into the beaten eggs, making sure that it mixes immediately so the hot mixture doesn't cook the eggs.
- When incorporated, whisk the egg mixture into the pan with the rest of the lemon mixture.
- Cook and stir for about two minutes more. Pour into sterilized canning jars, or into a serving bowl if using that day, and cover with waxed paper and cool. Makes about one cup of lemon curd.
- I give my jars of curd a turn in simmering water for about 5 minutes, just to make sure that it keeps, and I store it in the refrigerator.
Now that you have it, what do you do with it? Lemon curd is delectable served on hot scones. For something especially decadent, pair it with marscapone cheese. Oh, my! It can also be used as a cake filling, a spread for toast, pancakes, waffles, and as a pre-cooked pie filling (just bake a crust, spoon in the curd and chill. Top with whipped cream. Yum!).
If you have a lot of extra lemons, grate the peel, squeeze them all, mix the peel and juice together, and pour into ice cube trays, covering with plastic wrap. One tray holds about a cup and a half of juice. When frozen, empty the tray into a zip-lock freezer bag or freezer container, label and date, and you have juice ready for curd, lemonade or what you will, when lemons aren’t falling off the tree.
Do yourself and your friends a favor and make lemon curd for a wonderful hostess gift, a gift for a foodie, or to repay the person who gave you all those lemons!