Saturday
Apr112009
Easter Lemon Curd
I know the word "frugal" has been mentioned on this blog. That is definitely a primary value of mine, but not on Easter (or Christmas or Saturday mornings.) Lemon curd contains warehouses full of eggs and butter, isn't eaten for nutritional value, and is, in fact, quite sinful. The Judas Iscariot of custards. I made a double batch today to take to Sue's house tomorrow for our traditional Easter brunch. She is cooking up stacks of crepes right now. They wait to receive this lemony blessing (and other fillings like bechamel, mushrooms, Gruyere, or nutella). Tomorrow can't come soon enough.
In the meantime, here's my tried-and-true recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook, the most dog-eared cookbook on my shelf. No photos or fanciness, but every single thing I make from that tome turns out perfectly. A few years ago (before this reliable cookbook came along), I tried a Martha Stewart lemon curd recipe and ended up with scrambled eggs. That's happened to me several times with Martha, come to think of it.
I like to eat lemon curd with yogurt and granola, on crepes, or use it to fill tartlet shells. Today, we were all sucking it straight off the spatula.
Lemon Curd
1 Tb. + 2 ts. finely grated lemon zest
1 c. fresh lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)
1 1/3 c. sugar
4 large eggs
pinch of salt
1 3/4 sticks (14 Tb.) unsalted butter, cut into Tbs.
Whisk together zest, juice, sugar, eggs, and salt in a 2 qt. heavy saucepan. Add butter and cook over moderately low heat. It will look like this:
Whisk constantly, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on the surface, about 10 minutes.
Immediately force curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then refrigerate in an airtight container until cold.
April 11, 2009
Reader Comments (9)
i can't wait...14 hours and counting! i just got back from qfc + have 4.5 lbs of mushrooms waiting in the kitchen. THAT is one enormous bag of 'shrooms!
have i told you recently how much i LOVE traditions.... :)
c u soon.
xo
j
I had no idea that there was so much butter in curd. Sigh. Worry not though, I'll still eat tons of it.
Curdalicous.
Judas Iscariot of custards. Funny. I can't keep up! There are too many yummy things to make! I like how you have the comment window pop us a separate window now. You are cool.
Maybe this lemon curd will tempt me enough, to make that rhubarb custard pie that never got made for Easter,just so I can dolip it to death with lemon curd. We ended up Easter evening at Boundry Bay Brewery,toasting to the worst culinary Easter on record, as we shared a bowl of mac and cheese,and drank our first legal IPA,to break our lenten fast.I don't remember a beer ever tasting as good as that one did, or a Easter so void of ritual as this one, but our communion, and laughter,made up for all that had been lacking,and feeling His presence, assured us it really was Easter, even if we hadn't eaten a leg of lamb, or our rhubarb pie.
Great post, and I, too, have had the same problems with Martha!
Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. I has been (*&%(*$%#$*% since my last confession.
This past week we've been house-sitting. And with the sitting of the house comes cooking and eating of food. Copious amounts of food. Earlier in the week we made the blueberry buttermilk cake topped with lemon curd. Awesome times.
BUT...
There was leftover curd...
And I have been shoveling that stuff in my mouth like it's going out of style and there will never be another lemon grown, much less eaten, by yours truly.
The jeans that fit me just fine last week are now snug. One week!
How many Hail Mary's do I have for that one?
pds you are hillarious!
My, how that curd is sinful. It's not you. It's the custard.