Lemon curd feels like this elusive sunshine coloured spread that only old people know how to make and only old people want to make, which I find insane, given how delicious it is and what little time it takes to make. It also feels like something you need a kilo of lemons for and at least one spare hour, which is also wrong.
Since we are all still cooking more and consistently lacking inspiration, why not try something new? Lemon curd is about as versatile as marmalade, but so much more joyful to consume. Slather on top of ricotta on freshly toasted bread, sandwich between two sponge cakes, or eat it by the spoonful out of the jar with your head in the fridge (my girlfriends' personal favourite method). Whichever sounds good to you, make on a Sunday and be the hero of whoever you live with. A fresh batch keeps jarred in the fridge for about a week.
Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lime*
Juice of half the lime
150g cold unsalted butter
*if you don't have lime, use another lemon or different citrus.
Method:
- Beat your eggs, yolks, sugar, citrus zest and juice together in a bowl until combined.
- Cube your butter into 2cm x 2cm cubes, ensuring your butter is refrigerated.
- Add your lemon, egg and sugar mixture into a small saucepan on medium to low heat and stir consistently.
- Once your mixture has started to heat through, add cubes of butter in 3's, ensuring the cubes have melted before adding more, stirring throughout.
- While adding the butter, the mixture will start to thicken, if it starts to get too thick too quick and your mixture begins to cling to the bottom of the pan, take off the heat and whisk vigorously to cool down. Once cool, return to low heat and continue the process.
- Once all butter is incorporated your mixture should be thick, glossy and able to coat the back of a spoon.
- Take your curd off the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a sterilised jar.
- Refrigerate to cool and set and eat as soon as that happens.
