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Lemon Curd

the urban baker: Lemon Curd

the urban baker

The Urban Baker is deliciously photographed blog about nourishing your family's soul through life in the kitchen. The recipes for fabulous savories and sweets are easily replicated and will inspire you.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Lemon Curd

I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel...I may have 6 egg yolks left!  I am on the verge of chucking the last of them, but I have a hard time letting go of stuff.  Or perhaps, wasting stuff.

I have made lemon curd in the past, some very successful and some not so successful.  I searched the internet and didn't really find a recipe that used 90% yolks.  I found one that called for both lemon and lime juice, but that just meant another trip to the grocery store or the farmers market and I had already completed that task for the week.

I picked up 5 of my favorite books; Tartine, Sherry Yard, Desserts by the Yard, Baking with Julia, The Modern Baker, and Baking, From my home to yours.  I liked the recipe in Baking, From my home to yours because it was the simplest.  I know, that is somewhat of a copout, but it has been a very busy two weeks and all I really wanted to do was use up my egg yolks.  I was on a mission!

ingredients:
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 stick ( 6 tbls.) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg
6 large egg yolks
freshly squeezed lemon juice from 4 lemons (about 3/4 cup)

directions:
Put all ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir with a heatproof spatula.  Put the pan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring without stopping until butter melts. Keep stirring until the custard starts to thicken.  Don't walk away as the whole thing could curdle.

When you can run your finger along the spatula and the curd doesn't run into the track you have created, the curd id ready.  It may feel runny, but it will thicken as it cools.

Remove the pan from the heat and pour into a heatproof bowl (I poured it through a strainer).  Press a piece of plastic wrap against the curd to create an airtight seal and cool to room temp before storing in fridge.

Thanks Dorie for a truly wonderful recipe!  
Easy, Easy, Easy!

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7 Comments:

Anonymous Lisa! said...

I made the BEST lemon curd buttercream using your gorgeous jar of curd. It tasted so like lemon mousse. Thanks!!!

April 16, 2010 at 2:23 PM  
Blogger The Urban Baker said...

Lisa....send photos and the recipe! Do I get to sample?
xxx

April 16, 2010 at 3:30 PM  
Anonymous Adrienne said...

love the feel of these photos

April 20, 2010 at 9:08 PM  
Blogger Maria said...

Love how simple this one is. I will be trying it soon and slathering everything in lemon curd:)

May 1, 2010 at 8:31 AM  
Blogger tina said...

Helloooo!
I have a huge meyer lemon tree and this year I promised myself that I would make lemon curd. I got sidetracked by Martha Stewart's candied lemon slices. I have ruined 2 batches...
Question!
They look unappetizing and taste bitter. I tried sugar coating them after they cooled off- bitter still.
What am I missing ? equal parts H20/sugar . mix. boil. add sliced lemons. simmer for 30 minutes. dry on a rack over a cookie sheet.

May 1, 2010 at 3:19 PM  
Blogger The Urban Baker said...

Hi Tina,
I have a lemon meyer tree as well. Hate this time of year when my lemons are no longer budding. I now have to wait until fall. Boo hoo. What I like to do with my lemons is zest the heck out of them, then make 1 tablespoon portions and then freeze(on a piece of wax paper on a baking sheet) Once frozen to shape, put in a zip lock bag. Use when needed. Then I squeeze the lemons and pour into ice cube trays. Freeze and once frozen put those in a baggie as well!

In terms of your bitter lemons, hmmm. One thing that could cause the bitterness is the white pith that lines the inside of the peel. You don't want that. Try to remove as much of that as possible. This is a pretty good recipe for candied citrus peels ( http://is.gd/bQlRu ). Once these dry out, these could be frozen as well. I use them on just about anything and everything! Let me know how it goes!
P.S. I tried to find your blog/email address, however had no luck.

May 1, 2010 at 3:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing this recipe! I've made it several times since discovering it and I absolutely love it! I posted on my own blog about a tart I made for a friend's birthday with it...it came out wonderfully! :)

I'm jealous of those of you with your own lemon trees!

May 11, 2010 at 8:35 PM  

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