Curd – it must be the unsexiest word in the food dictionary. Can you come up with any others?
Before I came to the UK I must admit I never came across lemon curd before. The name surely didn’t do it any justice. The first thing I thought of was bean curd, in other words tofu, which is horrible on its own if you don’t add condiments to it like soy sauce and honey. My second thought was that the word “curd” is awfully close to “curdle”, which in most cases is bad news. So no, I wasn’t keen to try it.
Only last year in an attempt to expand Gabriel’s taste buds did Neil buy some lemon curd. With a lot of coaxing he got me to try some on a teaspoon – I have a phobia of mysterious contents in jars, containers and cans! It didn’t taste half bad.
When I saw the ingredients list I realised there was nothing controversial. It was time. While cooking the curd I was a bit stressed because I knew if the heat was too high I would end up with super-sweet, oozy-oily scrambled eggs, so I took things slow. Gradually it thickened but I worried whether it was thick enough. There is no point sitting with a gloopy undercooked eggy mess! Here is a tip. I used a whisk and only when its “trail” showed clearly when stirring the contents did I remove the glass container from the heat.
For good measure I gave the old-timers next door some to try and they loved it. Hurrah! Success!
Lemon Curd
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
Ingredients
- 6 medium eggs
- 300g (10 oz) sugar
- 150g (5 oz) butter
- juice and grated rind of 3 large, juicy lemons
Instructions
- Lightly beat the eggs and place in an earthenware jug.
- Add the sugar, butter, lemon juice and rind and stand the jug in a saucepan of simmering water over a low heat.
- Cook, stirring regularly, until the curd thickens to about the consistency of custard (it will thicken as it cools).
- Pour into jars and allow to cool thoroughly before adding lids.
- Keep refrigerated and use within two weeks.
Notes
- For those of you who prefer smooth lemon curd, omit the lemon rind or sieve the curd immediately after cooking.
- Use unwaxed lemons if you can find them.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 100g
- Calories: 334
- Sugar: 48 g
- Fat: 14.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 9.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 49.9 g
- Protein: 2.1 g
- Cholesterol: 145 mg
the wicked noodle says
I LOVE lemon curd! I’ve never thought to put it in a croissant, but it sounds heavenly!
Jenn says
I recently discovered homemade lemon curd myself, amazing how quick and easy it is to put together too! Love the croissant idea 🙂
j says
I’ve seen other posts about keeping homemade lemon curd no longer than a week. Is your vote ditto on that suggestion?
Erin @ The Houndstooth Apron says
Lemon curd on a blueberry muffin or scone…heaven.
Michelle says
J: I have seen the same on other recipes but I can assure you that I have enjoyed this batch for 2 weeks without any ill effects. (The original recipe states the same.) Give it a try! 🙂
Elaine says
In my part of England we call this Lemon Cheese but by either name it’s absolutely delicious.
Linda says
I think offal is a horrible word too
jenna says
Yummy.
Is Lemon Curd associated with Spring? This is the fifth mention and the THIRD recipe I’ve seen this month.
PS. If you seal with a paraffin paper on the hot curd, it’ll keep in the fridge about a month — sealed, of course.
[email protected] says
This would make me feel greedy so I could keep all this beautiful curd to myself… great recipe to use it with croissant!
Patty says
How about “Croissants filled with Lemon Awesomeness”? That seems like a fairly accurate description of this recipe, thanks for posting!
Nicole says
“kumquat”
Amy says
wow..I would love to make a home made lemon curd..I’m sure its sweet and delicious to eat :). thanks
Carrie says
That was amazing,I would love to make a home made lemon curd.I’m sure its sweet and delicious to eat.thanx for sharing.
Dawn Sayle says
Homemade lemon curd is far superior to shop bought.My grandson has me making it as soon as last jar is opened.It is so easy to make and tastes delicious.
Jackie says
How long canyou keep home made lemon curd for. It does look good. I have everything to go but just need to know how long it lasts as i put lemon curd into cupcakes and thye keep a week notmally.
Michelle says
Jackie: Do you bake the cupcakes with the curd in them or only add it after they baked? Lemon curd itself keeps in the fridge for 2 weeks, which means you’ll probably have to refrigerate the cupcakes too…
Becky says
I have everything to go but just need to know how long it lasts as i put lemon curd into cupcakes and thye keep a week notmally, thanx for sharing.
Best British Food says
Mmm, nothing beats fresh lemon curd on plain old toast. Thanks for the recipe – I’ve been meaning to make some. My mouth is watering as I type here… one of my favorite British foods.
Sadie says
I was amazed at how well this worked. I will always make my own lemon curd from now on, this recipe is so simple and turns out wonderful and extremely lemony.
Michelle says
So glad you succesfully made your own lemon curd on your first attempt, Sadie. Rock on! 🙂
Roy Parker says
Am about to try to make this but as a diabetic obviously can only have the tiniest sample. So my question is – can you make it using sweetener – eg Splenda. I might add I bake quite a bit using splenda very successfully particularly date and walnut loaf.
Michelle says
Roy: To be honest, I don’t have a clue. If you do make it I’d be very interested to hear your findings!
maggie davidson says
Have just made this recipe from left over lemons from christmas, never tried befor, OMG it is fab, its a must and anyone could make this easy to follow recipe.
Allison Clark says
I love lemon curd. I never knew it would be more fabulous to put a croissant on it. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Allison Clark says
I love lemon curd. I never knew it would be more fabulous to put a croissant on it. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Timothy Ford says
You should all try cooking the lemon curd in a double cooker.
Michelle says
That’s one gadget I don’t own yet and have to look into. Thanks, Timothy.
David says
Lemon curd looks like yummy and delicious I am so greedy for this type of food.
David Adams says
I will try this Lemon curd at home as soon as possible.
Renil M. George says
home made lemon card is so deliceous , great recipe
★★★★★