Lemon Curd (mark 2)

On these cold January days, I crave yellow in the same way I crave chocolate. So this week, I ordered 6 lemons with our organic vegetable order and set about planning what I would make. I posted a lemon curd recipe a while ago, and whilst it tasted simply divine, it was too runny. So I went looking…

Fergal bought me two outstandingly good books for Christmas: the previously mentioned Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall “Veg Everyday”, and Preserving by Oded Schwartz (funnily enough, when I opened that present, Fergal apologized saying he wasn’t sure if it was any good, oblivious to me having searched for weeks for that very book a few months ago. Oh, was I thrilled and delighted 🙂 ) In the (superb) preserving book I came across this recipe for lemon curd. It was relatively simple, tastes sweet yet tart, and set to a soft jelly. Perfect!

Oded Schwatz’s Lemon Curd 

 Grated rind juice of 6 lemons

400g (13oz) granulated (preserving) sugar

150g (5oz) softened butter

5 beaten eggs

Grate the rind and squeeze the juice of the lemons. Put the zest, juice and sugar in a bowl over simmering water, stirring frequently until the sugar has dissolved.

Add the butter and stir until melted.

Sieve the eggs in and cook gently, stirring frequently for around half an hour until it coats the back of the spoon. Do not allow it to boil or it will curdle.

Pour into warm sterilized jars and cover. It will make approximately 1 1/2 lbs of curd. This will keep for up to three months in the fridge, but considering mine lasted approximately 36 hours, I doubt it will be a problem…

I will post a lemon tart recipe that I made with the lemon curd shortly… Oh nom nom…

• Lemon curd,
• organic lemons,
• Preserving Oded Schwartz