Homemade Lemon Curd (Print Version)
Silky lemon curd with fresh zest and juice, thickened over a double boiler for spreads and fillings.
# What You Need:
→ Citrus
01 - 3 large lemons (zest and juice, about ½ cup juice)
→ Base Mixture
02 - 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 2 large egg yolks
→ Fat
05 - ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
# Directions:
01 - Zest the lemons using a microplane, then juice them until you yield about ½ cup of fresh lemon juice. Set both aside.
02 - In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, whole eggs, and egg yolks until completely smooth and well blended.
03 - Stir the lemon zest and juice into the egg-sugar mixture until evenly combined.
04 - Place the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water surface.
05 - Add the cubed butter to the bowl. Cook the mixture over the double boiler, whisking constantly, for 7 to 10 minutes until thickened and creamy. The curd is ready when it coats the back of a spoon.
06 - Remove the bowl from heat. Pour the lemon curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove the zest and any bits of cooked egg.
07 - Allow the curd to cool to room temperature, then transfer to sterilized jars. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
# Insider Tips:
01 -
- It comes together in twenty minutes and tastes like sunshine in a jar.
- The texture is velvety and luxurious yet the process is surprisingly simple.
02 -
- If the water beneath your bowl is boiling rapidly the eggs will scramble and you will have lemon flavored scrambled eggs instead of curd.
- Straining is not optional because it transforms the texture from rustic to silken and catches every imperfection.
03 -
- Dice your butter small and keep it cold so it melts evenly and the emulsion stays stable throughout cooking.
- Doubling the zest is the easiest way to intensify the lemon flavor without changing anything else in the recipe.