Lemon curd? Well that doesn’t sound appetizing. Maybe a history lesson will change your mind?
The first recorded recipe for “lemon curd” was in England in 1844 in The Lady’s Own Cookery Book by Lady Charlotte Campbell Bury. At that time, lemon juice was used to literally “curdle” cream. The curds were then separated using cheesecloth and the resulting “curds” could be used for pastries. Well that doesn’t sound much better.
Let’s skip forward to the later nineteenth century, when cooks began to add sugar, and the “curds” became more of a custard. Slowly cooking eggs, butter, sugar, and lemon juice to get a creamy, tart curd that makes a perfect topping or filling for any number of desserts. Now that’s more like it.
The best topping for scones, crepes, angel food cake. The best filling for tarts, cookies, cupcakes. The possibilities are endless!
My recipe is so quick and simple. I’ve scaled it back significantly from the recipe I used to make at the little French restaurant I worked at. One of the most popular breakfast orders was a sourdough French toast, piled high with blueberry sauce, lemon curd and whipped cream. As you can imagine, I made a lot of lemon curd! Now you can too, and I’d highly recommend you whip up some French toast too while you’re at it!
Ingredients:
- 3 Lemons (you’ll be using both the zest and the juice)
- 3 Eggs
- 3/4 Cup White Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Salted Butter
Method:
Before you begin, choose a mixing bowl that will fit inside a pot without touching the bottom. You will be cooking the lemon curd in a heatproof bowl over boiling water.
Zest and juice the three lemons.
In a medium sized metal bowl combine the zest and juice, the white sugar and the eggs. Whisk until combined. If you get some lemon seeds in the mixture, don’t worry about them as you will be straining the curd in the final stage.
Meanwhile, fill a pot with an inch or two of water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat.
When the water comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium. Set the bowl with the lemon juice, zest, eggs and sugar in the pot over the boiling water, making sure it does not touch the bottom of the pot.
Whisk the mixture continuously until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Approximately five minutes. If you need to hold/stabilize the bowl while you whisk, I’d recommend wearing oven mitts so the steam doesn’t burn you.
Remove the thickened mixture from the heat.
Add the butter to the (still hot) mixture. Whisk the butter in until it has melted and it is fully combined.
Set a strainer over a bowl or a measuring cup. Gently push the lemon curd through the strainer with a whisk or spatula, to remove the zest and any seeds, egg shells or bits of cooked egg from the curd.
Cover the curd by pushing plastic wrap directly onto the surface, to prevent a “skin” or any condensation forming. Chill the lemon curd for at least two hours before serving.
Enjoy!
Simple Four-Ingredient Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 3 Lemons zest and juice
- 3 Eggs
- ¾ Cup White Sugar
- ¼ Cup Salted Butter
Instructions
- Before you begin, choose a light, heatproof mixing bowl that will fit over a pot of boiling water without touching the bottom.
- Zest and juice the three lemons.
- Combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and eggs in a medium sized, heatproof mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine. Meanwhile, fill a pot with an inch or two of water and bring it to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat of the pot to medium. Set the bowl with the lemon juice, zest, sugar and eggs over the boiling water, making sure it does not touch the bottom of the pot.
- Whisk the mixture continuously until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Approximately five minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat.
- Add the butter to the hot mixture and whisk well until the butter has melted.
- Set a strainer over a measuring cup or bowl. Pour the lemon curd through the strainer, using a whisk or spatula to gently push the curd through, leaving any zest, seeds, or cooked egg behind.
- Press plastic wrap directly only the surface of the lemon curd and allow to chill for at least two hours before enjoying.
