Lemon Curd

After making enough white cake to feed one hundred guests at my birthday party (check out the 1980s fabulousness here!), I had twenty-eight egg yolks left over.  Usually when I make recipes requiring whites only, I toss yolks as I go and don’t realize how many I’m wasting.  This time I kept them all in a cup and when I was done baking the cake, I realized I simply could not toss them.   Twenty eight egg yolks is a lot to waste!  So I embarked on a mission to use them all.  Among other recipes, I took the suggestion of Nutmeg Nanny and made a batch of lemon curd, which used up six of the yolks.

This is not a spin on the classic, it is just the traditional recipe itself, which you can find anywhere online.  I’m not really posting it for your benefit as much as mine, so I can keep it where I can find it.  If you have not made lemon curd before, you are in for a treat!  The sweet-tart flavor combined with the velvety smooth texture is a refreshing change from the usual sweet jellies and jams and is bound to perk up your winter mornings and tea times if you are elegant enough to enjoy such things.  I have to admit I’ve never enjoyed a proper tea, but with this lemon curd now in my refrigerator, I’m at least on the right track.

6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/8-in slices

Add 1-inch of water to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. In a medium metal bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar for about 2 minutes until smooth. Whisk in the lemon juice and zest until combined. Place the mixing bowl on top of saucepan (the bowl should be wide enough to fit on top of the saucepan, but shouldn’t be touching the simmering water). Stir the mixture constantly with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as you stir, until it begins to thicken, and will coat the back of a spoon. This will take approximately 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Whisk in the butter, one slice at a time. Wait until each piece almost disappears before adding the next. Spoon into clean glass containers and allow to cool with a piece of plastic wrap laid on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until needed.
This lemon curd will keep for 2 to 3 weeks.
Veronica’s Notes: I used two large lemons for the zest and got 1/3 cup of juice from juicing one and a half of them. Not reading the instructions close enough, I cut my butter into large tablespoon-sized pieces. I also didn’t remove the curd from the stove top before stirring in the butter–I left it on the heat but neither mistake seemed to affect the end result.

Recipe source: About.com

http://veronicascornucopia.com/2010/10/25/lemon-curd/