tasty & zesty lemon curd!

(above) my first jar of Lemon Curd - recipe below.

Fruit curd is a dessert spread and topping usually made with lemon, lime, orange or raspberry.

Specific types of fruit curd are named after the central curd in them - for example, that made with lemons is known as "lemon curd". The basic ingredients are beaten egg yolks, sugar, fruit juice and zest which are gently cooked together until thick and then allowed to cool, forming a soft, smooth, intensely-flavored spread. Some recipes also include egg whites and/or butter.

In late 19th and early 20th century England, home-made lemon curd was traditionally served with bread or scones at afternoon tea as an alternative to jam, and as a filling for cakes, small pastries and tarts.

Homemade lemon curd was usually made in relatively small amounts as it did not keep as well as jam. In more modern times larger quantities are feasible because of the use of refrigeration. Commercially manufactured curds often contain additional preservatives and thickening agents.

Modern commercially made curds are still a popular spread for bread, scones, toast, waffles, crumpets, pancakes, or muffins.

They can also be used as a flavoring for desserts or yogurt. Lemon-meringue pie, made with lemon curd and topped with meringue, or lemon meringue cupcakes as seen below:

Curds are different from pie fillings or custards in that they contain a higher proportion of juice and zest, which gives them a more intense flavor. Also, curds containing butter have a smoother and creamier texture than both pie fillings and custards; both contain little or no butter and use cornstarch or flour for thickening. Additionally, unlike custards, curds are not usually eaten on their own.

Other flavor variations also exist using citrus fruits such as limes and tangerines, passion fruit, mangoes and berries such as cranberries or blackberries. Hundreds of commercial variations are sold globally.

most of the above information is from Wikipedia.

RECIPE

2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks

3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar

1/3 cup (80g) chilled unsalted butter

zest and juice of two lemons

see method below:

hint:
when grating lemons, place some cling wrap against the inside of the grater (or under) to capture the zest .

Whisk whole eggs, yolks and sugar in a saucepan until smooth, then place pan over a low heat. 

 Add the butter, lemon juice and zest and continuously whisk until thickened......

Strain through a sieve into a sterilized jar. Lemon curd keeps covered, in the fridge for two weeks.

 

the above took nearly an hour to prepare the ingredients, whisk and sieve .... a lot of work for just one jar of curd, but so worth it. The taste is tangy and delicious!

HINT:

The above states to use two whole eggs plus two egg yolks. I used the extra two egg whites left over to make a few macaroons.


HINT:

In the above recipe I used 3 small lemons and one medium to make the curd, but I did not throw away the left over lemon skin and pulp, I placed them in a saucepan along with some vanilla essence, cinnamon and a chopped orange and placed them on the stove using low heat to use as an Air Freshener for the day. 

It did make the house smell nice!

see below:

Hope you enjoy this tasty lemon curd as well as the spicy smelling 'air freshener'!



.