I can’t remember why I first made lemon curd, but I do remember being surprised at how easy it is to make, and how delicious it is. Millie and I made a Victoria Sponge Cake filled with lemon curd and whipped cream; we were inspired by The Great British Baking Show. Maybe that was the first time I made lemon curd?

This is one very fancy sandwich!

You can also bake up a short crust and whip up a lemon curd tart – easy and delicious!

Extra fancy!

But really, you will probably just want to eat it straight out of the jar with a spoon. This is what my mother-in-law Barb likes to do. I’m totally blabbing her secret, but she won’t mind. It is just that good. Or you can spread it on scones or flaky buttermilk biscuits. We almost do this weekly with Barb! And the best part is that it’s quick to make, and pretty easy. You don’t need a lot of ingredients… just two to three lemons, sugar, eggs, butter…

Barb snuggling with our cat Togy on a chilly February day.

I tried a couple of different recipes, to find that most were way too sweet for me until I found this one from Epicurious. This is the one; really lemony and tangy. One time I made it with Meyer lemons, and I was disappointed because the curd didn’t have the same zip to it. So yes, I like my curd very tart! And if you do too, you will love this recipe.

Lemon Curd

(from Epicurious)

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from two to three lemons)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs*
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (use a microplane grater)
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into pats

1. Wash the lemons and dry well. Using a microplane grater, grate the lemon zest into a small bowl until you have 2 teaspoons worth; set aside.
2. Juice the lemons until you have 1/2 cup of juice. Strain the juice and pour into a heavy 2-quart saucepan.
3. Add the sugar, eggs, and lemon zest to the juice and cook over a medium-low heat, whisking constantly while adding the butter pieces a little bit at a time.
4. Continue to whisk and heat the curd until the curd holds the line of the whisk, and you see the first bubble or two of a simmer appear at the top. The curd should reach 170°F. This can take up to twenty minutes! Don’t rush the process by turning up the heat, otherwise you might end up with scrambled eggs.
5. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl, covering the top of the curd with plastic wrap… yes, the wrap should be touching the curd. It keeps the curd from developing a skin. Let cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes:

*I recommend removing the little white stringy things (chalaza) that are attached to the egg yolks before using the eggs. The chalaza, once cooked, will look like white lumps in your lemon zest. No thank you. On that note, some like to strain the curd after it is made, but I do not. Too much work! Plus, I like the teeny bits of zest, but if you prefer, go ahead and strain it. Also, the microplane zester zests so finely that you can hardly tell that there are bits of zest in the curd, but you do get all of the flavor.

All the necessary ingredients, plus my favorite flexible whisk.

Just zest the rind, not the white pith, which can be bitter.

Oops! I put all the butter in at once, but it still came out fine!

Butter melting.

This flexible whisk bends, allowing it to get into the cornery edges of the pan.

End product will be a bit gelatinous and will leave trails. It thickens quite a bit once chilled.

Enjoy!

And just for fun:

The girls, me, and Barb at Mount Rainier, October 2022.