Something sweet and sour for this session of Cooking School - a delicious creamy lemon curd. At this time of year when citrus fruits are plentiful I often cannot resist the plethora of flavors and recipes one can create with lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, satsumas and co.
One absolute must is a lemon curd - a rich, tart spread made with lemons and although one can use other citrus fruits like limes or oranges to make curds, lemons are the all time favorite. Why is lemon curd a must for me? Because from this as a basis I can make literally dozens of exciting creations. Having said that, I am giving you a heads up - go get your lemons and make this lemon curd - as later this week I will be sharing a great recipe, which uses lemon curd in a exciting and refreshing way.
For those new to lemon curd let me tell you a bit about this sensational spread, which is particularly associated with Great Britain and the very British tea culture since the 18th century. Lemon curd is very versatile and while you can use it like a spread on scones, toast and sweet breads, it can also be used to fill tarts, pies and cookies.
The basic way to make lemon curd is by gently cooking lemon juice with eggs and sugar to create a very rich custard, which can be made even more tart and flavorful with the addition of lemon zest. Butter or whipped cream gives it a more soft and creamy texture. A good lemon curd tastes incredibly lemony - like lemon concentrate with an intense burst of citrus flavor which many absolutely love.
Making fresh lemon curd at home is very easy and well worth the effort, as only fresh lemon curd has a fresh, clear flavor which is quite distinctive. Those commercially bought lemon curds often have preservatives and stabilizers that will make the curd last longer but also have a slight metallic taste to it. Fresh lemon curd usually will keep only for a few days, but worth making larger batches if you would like to make other desserts and cakes.
The recipe below makes about 4 to 6 jars full and can be easily stored in the refrigerator. It makes a sweet, tart and very velvety spread so tempting that you will want to spoon it straight into your mouths! As the recipe requires grated zest of the lemon, please try to get your hands on organic, unwaxed and unhandled lemons. Only they promise not only to be free from pesticide but also offer a perfect puckery lemon flavor.
Monthly Mingle Extended Deadline
The Monthly Mingle Caribbean Cooking deadline has been extended to Friday 13th March. I am hoping you will find a few exciting flavors and creations to bring along to our beach party. To inspire you here are a few great ideas:
You can easily send your entries using the all new Monthly Mingle Form, which is super easy and guarantees that your submission will not get lost in my spam folder ;-)
Recipe: Fresh Lemon Curd
Ingredients
Printable version of recipe here.4 organic lemon, zest and juice
110g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 eggs, beaten
450g fine granulated sugarMethod
- Set a fine strainer over a medium bowl, then set aside.
- In a medium sized saucepan whisk together the grated lemon zest and juice, sugar and eggs until incorporated and the sugar has dissolved.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and gently cook the mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon, until steaming. Make sure the curd does not boil. Stir frequently and continue to cook until the curd has thickened and the curd coats the back of the wooden spoon - approx 3-7 minutes.
- Take the curd off the heat and then add the butter, stirring to incorporate it to the curd. Pour the curd mixture through the prepared strainer to make sure there are no lumps in the lemon curd.
- Pour into warm sterile jars , cover and seal. Allow to come to room temperature, then refrigerate.
Food Guide Tip: Read all about lemons in my Food Guide.
Verdict
The texture of this lemon curd is extremely velvety, making it a true pleasure on my morning wholegrain roll. Soeren enjoys it as a filling in his muffin with some cream cheese and Tom simply adds a dollop of the lemon curd in his natural yogurt. Just a few ways we enjoy our lemon curd. Of course it's not the only way! When I have made a fresh batch of lemon curd, I often bake or make desserts where this tart curd is beautifully highlighted to its finest aromas.
So, if you want to join me later this week for some baking with lemon curd, let's start by making a fresh batch of this easy lemon curd recipe.
See you later this week!
You might like these fruity spreads from WFLH:
Pear Cranberry Chutney with Star Anise | Spicy Mango Chutney | Fig Ginger Preserve |
Fruity Curd delights from around the blogs:
- Six-Layer Coconut Cake with Mango Curd - Kaitlyn in the Kitchen
- Cranberry Curd Pavlova - Super in Stereo
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Raspberry Curd Filling - Notes from my Food Diary
Daily Tiffin Reading Tip:
- Do You Discipline Your Child? written by Dharm
All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2009 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First
oohh, this looks delicious. yummy. I took a day of tomorrow maybe I should run to the supermarket and make some myself.
ReplyDeleteI just used your form to sent you my entry for caribbean cooking, very impressive.
hugs, Isis
I loooooooove Lemon Curd and yours looks particularly scrumptious! Amazing pictures!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Rosa
Wow I really loved it I'm scared to use the zest since my recipes turn bitter any chance of skipping it?
ReplyDeleteBeautiful color! Does the zest make it bitter, or is that slight bitter taste (like the marmalades with the zest) desired?
ReplyDeletelove the smear in the picture.
wow, this looks delicious! Love the color...
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAnd I have never tasted it. Shame on me! :)
The curd looks really creamy and perfect Meeta! I love it spread over scones.
ReplyDeleteMy husband absolutely adores lemon curd. The recipe I've been using came from one of my readers. We've adapted it to blood oranges and grapefruit curds, too.
ReplyDeleteYayy that you extended the deadline for MM. I have something ready just need to edit and post :)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI just made lemon curd this week to sandwich between macarons...
I love lemon curd and have some that I made last week. Can't wait for your recipe!!!!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could make some tart shells right now and make lemon tarts... an absolute favourite!
ReplyDeleteThe lemon curd looks so good Meeta- the creamy texture and the bright color.Now want to get making some tasty tarts.
ReplyDeleteAhhhh Meeta just lemon is so good but I always think lemon curd raises it to the level of the angels. It's beautiful with an angel food cake as well.
ReplyDeleteAhhhh Meeta just lemon is so good but I always think lemon curd raises it to the level of the angels. It's beautiful with an angel food cake as well.
ReplyDeleteLooks so velvety pretty Meeta. Believe it or not, I have 5 tart shells waiting to be filled. hmmm, one question, should I double the lemons coz the Indian ones are far smaller than the ones you may be using.I think i shall make these in a day...the family is going to enjoy this!!
ReplyDeleteWhy didn't you post this last week i made a leamon curd cake , the pastry was delicious, curd was yumm too, only thing was it was not thick enough, when i sliced the tart, it was a mess as the curd was a bitt thin.
ReplyDeleteMy tart was looking beautiful but yeah the curd was thinner so you can imagine in the serving plate, it was runnny.
I will post it one of these days.
Next time i will try your leamon curd recipe.
Hi Meeta. I'm Tata from Indonesia. Both your blog and your photos are beautiful. I just wonder how you could post your photos in a big size. I've tried to do it with my own blog but I couldn't coz I didn't know how the way. Would you like to tell me how the way? I'd love to receive your reply at www.bonitofood.blogspot.com or my e-mail yunitarahmasari@yahoo.com. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteSorry if my English is not good :)
Oooh so lovely!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the recipes I must definitely try at least once, so I am bookmarking it.
ReplyDeleteohh I am excited that you are liking this recipe as usually a lemon curd is made over a double boiler. this is a easier way without the hassle of a double boiler!
ReplyDeleteSonu/Soma - you can skip the zest if you like. I prefer the flavor with the zest. With regards to the bitterness you have to make sure that you only use the very top peel of the lemon without any of the white part. that's what makes it bitter. Furthermore as you are straining it the zest will be discarded so really you are only using it for the flavors and the oils!
Meeta, I tried lemon curd a while ago for the first time and fell in love with it!
ReplyDeleteYours is so vibrant and glossy!
Well, may be some day I will shed my fear of sterilizing jars and make this lovely lemon curd.
ReplyDeleteThanks Meeta. I love the flavor of the zest too.. only concern was the bitter part... I wasn't aware that the top layer is not bitter:-)
ReplyDeleteKnew about this,but the recipe is very new to me.looks too delicious and the pic is too tempting.
ReplyDeleteThat looks and sounds perfect Meeta. I can't wait to see what you come up with later in the week.
ReplyDeleteI'll try to send something along for this month's mingle. I haven't been spending as much time in the kitchen as I like, but I'm hoping that will change soon.
I would love for you to submit something to this month's No Croutons Required. The theme is Indian or Indian-style soups and salads. Your recipes are always top notch.
I just, well not just, more like a week ago, made lemon curd. I tasted a spoonful of mine on Sunday (& everyday before that) and it tasted fine. With that said should I toss it, whatever is left? I made the curd but wasn't sure what to do with it other than make a tart which I did already.
ReplyDeleteI'm be back for what to do with my leon curd. Guess I'll be trying it again.
Btw, fantastic photos!
~ingrid
...I don´t know what to say... I tried lemon curd for the first time when I was on my first holiday trip to London. I loved it but I never found again one that was as creamy and smooth as yours. Thank you for this recipe Meeta!! And thank you for this blog!
ReplyDeleteCheers
Sabine
mmmm ... that looks delicious! I love lemon :-)!!
ReplyDeleteTotally better than buying it from Trader Joe's!
ReplyDeleteMeeta, your lemon curd looks so delicious and luscious! i'm tempting to make it with meyer lemons which i've seen appear in the market recently.
ReplyDeleteAm so going to try this soon, and gift it to a fellow lemon curd lover, blogger friend of mine!
ReplyDeleteWow! Bright, sunny and exquisitely delicious! Amazing color!
ReplyDeleteLemon curd rocks! Had I known you folks loved it too I would have posted this earlier LOL! Thanks for all your feedback!
ReplyDeleteIngrid, I made mine about a week ago too and yesterday opened my last jar (WECK) and it was fine - so I would say if it tastes good then go ahead and use it quickly. I am eating it spread on fresh wholegrain roll (warm) as we speak LOL!
Lisa, Hope you manage the mingle. I always love your recipes. I certainly will try and make it to NCR this month. ;-)
Sabine, thank you for your lovely words!
A good classic that everyone should learn. Looks great.
ReplyDeleteMmmmm I just discovered lemon curd and will print your recipe right now... I love it!!!
ReplyDeleteHave not tried lemon curd. Looks very pretty
ReplyDeleteHi Meeta, I have not thought you can make this yourself, your pictures are beautiful. I have to try it one day, much healtier without addictives. I usually buy one when I go to London. How long can yours be kept in the fridge?
ReplyDeleteJust submitted my entry.Thanks for hosting and also for extending the deadline.Do confirm as and when time permits.Looking forward to a hearty round up and next theme
ReplyDeleteI just want to plunge my face into that!
ReplyDeletelove it! great color and setting... i'm thinking a flan could be great with a heavier lemon presence!
ReplyDeleteI just made this lemon curd and it is incredible! Easy and ever so tasty. I wanted something to top a Limoncello Cheesecake with and I think this will be just perfect!!! Thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Meeta
ReplyDeleteI simply love the lemon curd. I tried it this morning and it turned out perfect.....just the way i like it. The only little modification i did was increase the lemon since in India the lemons we get are much smaller.
Thank you for an easy delicious perfect recipe.
I love your blog. The pictures are beautiful.
Happy Cooking !!