Good evening gents. As the title of this posting indicates, I will take you through the process of making lemon curd. I cannot take any credit for this recipe nor the method used to make it. I found it in a web search for lemon curd. I will try to find the web site where I discovered it and post a link. It is more than worthy of a viewing. It got me past my fear of making this luscious, decadent dessert.
A bit of explanation for those who have not experienced curd. It is a cooked pudding of citrus juice, eggs, sugar, and butter, and nothing else. I guess you could add things but it would actually detract from this sublime wonder. The trouble for most people begins when they start researching how to do this. You are almost universally told to use a double boiler or baine-marie in proper cooking terms. This keeps the delicate egg mixture from direct heat to prevent scorching but it is bloody inconvenient and time consuming. We will despense with this apparatus in lieu of quality saucepan of about two litres or so capacity. It is not critical since this is not a large sized batch. Curd should not be made in large batches. Cooking temperature is critical and keeping a pan of pudding say, three or four inches deep a constant temperature from top to bottom is hard to do. It is an invitation to scorching.
I had always feared making curd. All you find online are horror stories of saucepans full of scrambled eggs, scorched pan bottoms, and near apocalypse. At least it seemed so. At least till I found out how EASY it can be. For those who have not had the unmitigated gastronomical pleasure of eating lemon curd, you simply do not know what awaits you. So to it, and have a hearty spread for your toast tomorrow morning.
The photos show a double batch. Don't start this way unless you are very sure of yourself. Stick to the the base recipe for you first batch or two.
Ingredients:
3oz.(6Tbsp) of unsalted BUTTER(not margarine!)
1 Cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs
2 Large Egg Yolks
2/3 Cup Lemon Juice. (Lime, Orange, etc. will work)
1 Tbsp. Grated Lemon Zest(I did not do this and it has PLENTY of lemon zing)
Lime Juice(Yes, I made lime curd this time)
Butter
Sugar Added To Butter(Cream the butter first. I forgot. Lots more work this way)
Creaming The Mix
Fully Creamed And Eggs And Yolks Mixed In
Lime Juice Added(This is where most people cringe. It usually looks like clabbered yellow milk. Never fear we nearly there.)
On The Hob Over Low Heat To Melt And Homogonise The Mix
Heat Turned Up To Medium High(careful here. Things can sticky in a hurry. Sorry for the pun.)
About Half Way Done
Almost There.(Notice the brown flecks? A slight scorching from too much heat. Be careful! I was lucky. It did not ruin the batch)
Done!
A Jar Set Aside For A Friend
See? That was not too hard was it? A few things to keep in mind. The most time consuming part was juicing the limes. Please, please, please use FRESH citrus juice. Just do it. You will notice the difference. The trick to this recipe is creaming the sugar, butter and eggs before adding the juice. I mean cream them very well. You can see from my photos it looks almost like cake batter at that stage. It works a treat with the cooking. After you place the pan on the stove turn the burner to a medium low heat. This gets the pan warm, melts and mixes the ingredients together(the curdled look of the juice/cream mix disappears) and then turn the heat up to medium high. If you an electric range like mine, the burner dial is graduated 1-10. I keep it at around 6. Do NOT turn it up to get the pan super hot and then plan on turning it down like you would with a proper gas hob. You just cannot get it to cool down quickly enough. Do not be afraid to lift it right off the burner if you suspect too much heat. I did it a number of times with this batch.
You should have your whisk handy at all times. I use a flat one and it is great for keeping the bottom of the pan clean. The very second you feel the curd thicken even a little make sure you keep your attention focused on it. You can burn it in an instant but will have no trouble if you keep it stirred and whisked. This is why you keep the temp at medium high. It usually takes me about 15 minutes of cooking to get it to the point I think it is done. You can clearly see the difference in texture and colour in the photos. When it is shiny and smooth. Avoid boiling the curd. The recipe recommends not going over 170F but I do not use a thermometer. I just look for small bubbles like simmering would produce. Just keep stirring. It does mean at breakneck speed. Just keep the mix moving. You will feel it getting thick but it may look like it is too fluid when it is actually done. Fear not. When it cools it will gel and set nicely. Pour the curd into a pan and smooth it down. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to prevent a film from forming. Cool it down and enjoy.
Regards, Todd
A bit of explanation for those who have not experienced curd. It is a cooked pudding of citrus juice, eggs, sugar, and butter, and nothing else. I guess you could add things but it would actually detract from this sublime wonder. The trouble for most people begins when they start researching how to do this. You are almost universally told to use a double boiler or baine-marie in proper cooking terms. This keeps the delicate egg mixture from direct heat to prevent scorching but it is bloody inconvenient and time consuming. We will despense with this apparatus in lieu of quality saucepan of about two litres or so capacity. It is not critical since this is not a large sized batch. Curd should not be made in large batches. Cooking temperature is critical and keeping a pan of pudding say, three or four inches deep a constant temperature from top to bottom is hard to do. It is an invitation to scorching.
I had always feared making curd. All you find online are horror stories of saucepans full of scrambled eggs, scorched pan bottoms, and near apocalypse. At least it seemed so. At least till I found out how EASY it can be. For those who have not had the unmitigated gastronomical pleasure of eating lemon curd, you simply do not know what awaits you. So to it, and have a hearty spread for your toast tomorrow morning.
The photos show a double batch. Don't start this way unless you are very sure of yourself. Stick to the the base recipe for you first batch or two.
Ingredients:
3oz.(6Tbsp) of unsalted BUTTER(not margarine!)
1 Cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs
2 Large Egg Yolks
2/3 Cup Lemon Juice. (Lime, Orange, etc. will work)
1 Tbsp. Grated Lemon Zest(I did not do this and it has PLENTY of lemon zing)
Lime Juice(Yes, I made lime curd this time)
Butter
Sugar Added To Butter(Cream the butter first. I forgot. Lots more work this way)
Creaming The Mix
Fully Creamed And Eggs And Yolks Mixed In
Lime Juice Added(This is where most people cringe. It usually looks like clabbered yellow milk. Never fear we nearly there.)
On The Hob Over Low Heat To Melt And Homogonise The Mix
Heat Turned Up To Medium High(careful here. Things can sticky in a hurry. Sorry for the pun.)
About Half Way Done
Almost There.(Notice the brown flecks? A slight scorching from too much heat. Be careful! I was lucky. It did not ruin the batch)
Done!
A Jar Set Aside For A Friend
See? That was not too hard was it? A few things to keep in mind. The most time consuming part was juicing the limes. Please, please, please use FRESH citrus juice. Just do it. You will notice the difference. The trick to this recipe is creaming the sugar, butter and eggs before adding the juice. I mean cream them very well. You can see from my photos it looks almost like cake batter at that stage. It works a treat with the cooking. After you place the pan on the stove turn the burner to a medium low heat. This gets the pan warm, melts and mixes the ingredients together(the curdled look of the juice/cream mix disappears) and then turn the heat up to medium high. If you an electric range like mine, the burner dial is graduated 1-10. I keep it at around 6. Do NOT turn it up to get the pan super hot and then plan on turning it down like you would with a proper gas hob. You just cannot get it to cool down quickly enough. Do not be afraid to lift it right off the burner if you suspect too much heat. I did it a number of times with this batch.
You should have your whisk handy at all times. I use a flat one and it is great for keeping the bottom of the pan clean. The very second you feel the curd thicken even a little make sure you keep your attention focused on it. You can burn it in an instant but will have no trouble if you keep it stirred and whisked. This is why you keep the temp at medium high. It usually takes me about 15 minutes of cooking to get it to the point I think it is done. You can clearly see the difference in texture and colour in the photos. When it is shiny and smooth. Avoid boiling the curd. The recipe recommends not going over 170F but I do not use a thermometer. I just look for small bubbles like simmering would produce. Just keep stirring. It does mean at breakneck speed. Just keep the mix moving. You will feel it getting thick but it may look like it is too fluid when it is actually done. Fear not. When it cools it will gel and set nicely. Pour the curd into a pan and smooth it down. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to prevent a film from forming. Cool it down and enjoy.
Regards, Todd
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