Feb 9, 2012

*When Life Gives You Lemons...*

Make Lemon Curd...



OK... here's a question???

Why do lemons get such a bad rap? I happened to love lemons. I used to eat them with salt when I was a kid. Lemons smell so fresh and clean.



Lemons are yummy additions to so many dishes...
  • Fish
  • Desserts
  • Breads
  • Pies
  • Lemon Curd
  • OH... I could keep going!
If you are going to make lemon curd the first thing you NEED! is a microplane. If you don't have one, RUN- don't walk, to the nearest store and BUY ONE! I had no idea what I was missing with my old grater.



Another thing you need is butter... cut into 1/2" cubes... don't they look so pretty!



But the very best part about making lemon curd is the EATING! YUM!



The worst part?

That would be cleaning up the kitchen.



So let me share (again) friend-Sheri's recipe for lemon curd.

LEMON CURD
7 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1 cup plus 2 Tbs granulated sugar
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh grated lemon zest (micro-plane)
4 Tbs butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (Sheri says unsalted but sometimes I don't have it.  I say I never have unsalted butter so I use the salted kind instead of adding salt to the recipe)
3 Tbs heavy cream

Whisk the yolks, whole eggs, and sugar til combined. Whisk in juice, zest and in a medium non-reactive* saucepan . Add butter and cook over med/low heat stirring constantly til curd thickens to a medium, sauce-like consistency, about 5 min...but I usually go to about 170 degrees. (I seem to be candy thermometer impaired!  If I put it into the pan with the cute little clippy thing then I end up scorching whatever I'm cooking under the end of the thermometer.)

Strain through fine mesh strainer into non-reactive bowl and stir in the cream.

This is so yummy on toasted English muffins... or just about anything. Sheri says she loves it more than chocolate!

** Inquiring minds want to know?
Non-reactive material- clay, enamel, glass, plastic, or stainless steel.  
Reactive material- Aluminum- imparting a metallic taste, and can discolor light-colored soups and sauces, especially if you stir them with a metal spoon or whisk.

3 comments:

Sivinden said...

What a great series of photos! My favourite picture is the second last. Looks like a very tasty dish:)

Pat said...

Wonderful series. I like the processing you used. That lemon curd looks so good!

Pat said...

Wonderful series. I like the processing you used. That lemon curd looks so good!