Homemade Lemon Curd

 

One of the things I wanted to do with the children over the summer holidays was to make homemade lemon curd. I made this when I was a Girl Guide for my homemaker badge (many years ago) and I still remember how delicious it was.

I used a recipe on the BBC website from the Hairy Bikers but looking for the page again today I found another recipe, also from the Hairy Bikers that is much simpler and requires a lot less effort than the one I used!

The recipe I followed told me to stir for 10 minutes and whisk for 15 minutes, which meant staying whilst the lemon curd cooked - very satisfying to see it turn from sloppy to thick and shiny - but after two minutes stirring the kids went off to do something else! When I make it again I will definitely try the version I found today (which I have included below), allowing me to go off and do other things while it cooks (like make meringues from the left over egg white).

The finished product was as delicious as I hoped, deep yellow and thick and sharp in taste, and Sophie requested "homemade lemon curd on toast for lunch today, please" so a success with her too.

So for those interested in making your own lemon curd, here is the version I didn't do but will be making next time! Pretty similar in quantities of ingredients but a lot less physical input ...

Homemade Lemon Curd 

Ingredients
4 unwaxed lemons, zest and juice
200g/7oz unrefined caster sugar

100g/3½oz unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3 free-range eggs, plus 1 free-range egg yolk

To sterilise jars, wash the jars in very hot, soapy water or put through the hot cycle of a dishwasher. Place the jars onto a baking tray and slide into an oven set to 160C/325F/Gas 3 for 10-15 minutes.

Put the lemon zest and juice, the sugar and the butter into a heatproof bowl. Sit the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl. Stir the mixture every now and again until all of the butter has melted.

Lightly whisk the eggs and egg yolk and stir them into the lemon mixture. Whisk until all of the ingredients are well combined, then leave to cook for 10-13 minutes, stirring every now and again, until the mixture is creamy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove the lemon curd from the heat and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally as it cools. Once cooled, spoon the lemon curd into sterilised jars and seal. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Recipe by the Hairy Bikers taken from the BBC Food website.

© 2012 Nicola Noble: Please observe the rules of copyright and blog etiquette. If you use my ideas or images, please link back to my blog. And do let me know - I'd love to take a look.