Recently we found ourselves in the happy situation of having too many lemons (you can read about our previous lemon experience here). Feeling very “domestic goddess” like and pretending I lived in an English Manor, it was decided that what we needed was home-made lemon curd, and accompanying scones.
I found a basic recipe, and as I’m vanilla-obsessed, thought the addition of fragrant, fresh vanilla would be a welcome addition to the tangy curd. It was ridiculously easy to make – no worrying about curdling or splitting – just thick, creamy lemon-filled goodness at the end of it. We enjoyed it with scones and butter – and subsequently on bran muffins for breakfast, as a filling for lemon macarons and on flapjacks. I’ve yet to try it as a sandwich filling for cakes – but it’s on the list.
It was our first lemon curd adventure – but it won’t be our last. I now can’t imagine not having a jar of this in the fridge – kept safe in a Consol jar, it will last for a good few weeks. It has now also started us thinking of lime, grapefruit or granadilla curd – watch this space.
Adapted from here
Ingredients:
4 lemons, zest and juice
200g caster sugar
100g butter, cut into cubes
3 free-range eggs, plus 1 free-range egg yolk
Seeds from a vanilla pod
Method:
Place a saucepan of water (about 4 cm deep) on a medium-high heat, until simmering Place the lemon zest and juice, the sugar and the butter into a heatproof bow and place this over the saucepan of water – making sure the water doesn’t touch the base of your bowl. Stir gently and constantly until the butter has melted.
Lightly whisk the eggs and egg yolk and stir them into the lemon mixture on a gentle heat. Whisk until all the ingredients are well combined, then continue to stir gently with a whisk or wooden spoon for 10-15 minutes, until the mixture is creamy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove the lemon curd from the heat and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally as it cools. Once cooled, spoon the lemon curd into sterilised jars and seal. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
What do you think?