Ingredients
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3 (yields 3/4 cup juice), LemonsMeyer lemons are the best, see note below
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3, room temperature Egg YolksYou can use the full egg and strain the cooked egg white
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1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
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1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
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6 Tbsp, cold (3oz, 85 gms) Unsalted Butter
Directions
Steps
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1
Done
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Before You BeginSpecial equipment - a fine mesh strainer and a non=reactive saucepan, meaning either stainless steel, tin-lined copper, enameled, or glass. (A reactive pan contains metals that may interact with certain foods - such as here with the sugar. Aluminum, cast iron and copper are all reactive and should not be used for this lemon curd recipe for best results). Second tip: You have a choice with the egg use- either separate the eggs and use the egg white for something else and only use the egg yolk here, which makes for less work, or you can add the full egg, which requires harder work with the strainer after cooking - you will have to push the lemon curd through the fine mesh strainer and there will be a mass of cooked egg white clumps remaining. |
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2
Done
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Grate the lemons to render about 2 tsp of lemon zest. In a saucepan and medium heat, whisk together the egg, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Quickly cube the butter and add them to the pan. Now whisk constantly - very important - whisk non-stop (until it feels like your hand is about to fall off - but the result is worth it!) until the mixture thickens nicely, about 6 minutes total. But don't stop there - keep going for a few more minutes until it starts to bubble. |
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3
Done
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Remove from heat, (give your arm and wrist a quick break!), then put your strainer over a bowl and pour the lemon curd through the strainer, stirring it with a wooden spoon (rubber works too) to force the lemon curd through the strainer. Discard anything left behind. if you used whole eggs, have fun cleaning your strainer! |
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4
Done
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Cover and refrigerate for about an hour then enjoy! Yields about 1 - 1/3 cups. |
