Tangy, zesty, sweet, voluptuous lemon curd. Friend to families across the ages. Too poetic? Maybe, but it’s so easy to make and doesn’t so much knock the shop-bought stuff out of a cocked hat, so much as push it over and laugh at it. It stores for a good 3 weeks in the fridge, so it makes sense to make it. I bought really good shop stuff for my lemon and sultana buns, but one reminding taste of the home made stuff and I’m reassured that it is no substitute for the real thing. Spread on a slice of brioche, it is unbeatable.

In a small saucepan, and on a very low heat, put 2 oz unsalted butter.

Once it has melted, add 4oz sugar

and the zest and juice of 2 plump and large, or in my case, 4 small and miserable lemons.

Put 2 eggs and 1 extra egg yolk in a bowl and beat them well.

Add the eggs to the saucepan and stir in thoroughly. Taste it to make sure it’s sweet enough. I ended up adding nearly another ounce of sugar, but my lemons were particularly mean and spiteful.

Stir over the lowest of low heats and don’t let the mixture bubble at all during this process, or you will end up with scrambled eggs. If you get a scary moment – like a white piece of egg – whip the pan off the heat and beat it like a maniac. Try not to cry though – that would be a step too far.
It’s ready when the mixture coats a spoon; that is, dip the spoon in to the curd

and draw a line, with your finger, down the back of it and the clean line remains,then you’re there.

Pour into a bowl, cool and put in the fridge. It will thicken as it cools.
Keep it in a jar or sealed container in the fridge for about 3 weeks – if you can keep it that long.

Spread it on bread,

or add to whipped cream, use as a filling for a cake – the list goes on.

One word of advice though – don’t just cover it with clingfilm. I have done that in the past and every time I go to the fridge there’s a hole where a 4 yr-old’s finger has been inserted and licked. I am confident that the finger will not have been sanitised before or after this quick taster and more to the point, there’s no way of knowing how many times that finger went from mouth to lemon curd. *shudder*

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Lemon Curd

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2oz unsalted butter
4-5oz sugar (add 4oz, then check sweetness as it cooks)
zest and juice of 2 large, or 3-4 small, miserable lemons
2 eggs and 1 egg yolk, beaten

In a small saucepan, and on a very low heat, melt the butter.
Add the sugar, zest and juice.

Add the eggs and stir in thoroughly. Taste it to make sure it’s sweet enough.

Stir over the lowest of low heats and don’t let the mixture bubble at all during this process, or you will end up with scrambled eggs. If you get a scary moment – like a white piece of egg – whip the pan off the heat and beat it like a maniac. Try not to cry though – that would be a step too far.
It’s ready when the mixture coats a spoon; that is, when you dip the spoon in to the curd and draw a line, with your finger, down the back of it and the clean line remains,then you’re there.

Pour into a bowl, cool and put in the fridge. It will thicken as it cools.
Keep it in a jar or sealed container in the fridge for about 3 weeks – if you can keep it that long.

Spread on bread, add to whipped cream, use as a filling for a cake – the list goes on.