Lemon Curd
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This is the version I make every time I do a batch of meringue. Six egg yolks that would otherwise go to waste, bottled lemon juice, sugar and butter. No zesting, no juicing, no double boiler. Those are unneccesary hurdles for an ADHD brain to overcome when making lemon curd.
The result is a bright, zingy lemon curd that works as a spread, a pavlova topping, or eaten straight from the jar with a spoon. I will not judge you.
Why bottled lemon juice is fine
Fresh lemon juice tastes marginally brighter. Bottled lemon juice means you always have it, you use exactly what you need, and you do not end up with half a lemon going furry in your fridge three days later. For a component you are going to pair with meringue and cream, bottled is absolutely fine.
Why I measure my lemon juice in grams.
Lemon juice is watery. It’s 1:1 volume to weight. I never understood why we need to measure ingredients in volume when we can just weigh them on the same scale we used to weigh the other stuff. Why do I have to use a beaker to measure the juice that just creates another dish to clean. No thanks. I like just putting the pan on the scale, measuring everything by weight, and then move it over to the hob.
Why I skip the double boiler
The double boiler exists to prevent the eggs from scrambling by keeping the heat gentle and indirect. But if you keep the heat at medium and stir constantly, a regular saucepan does exactly the same job. The key is not walking away. Stir it, watch it, and take it off the heat the moment it simmers. I recommend using a wooden spatula to be able to scrape the bottom of the pan whilst stirring. That way you ensure nothing burns.
Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 6 large egg yolks from the meringues we made, or freeze the egg whites for another time
- 300 g sugar
- 100 g lemon juice from the bottle
- 50 g butter salted or unsalted it doesn't matter
Instructions
- Place sauce pan on your kitchen scale. Add 6 egg yolks and 300g sugar to a saucepan and whisk together until combined.
- Pour in 100g bottled lemon juice and whisk again.
- Place over medium heat and stir with a wooden spatula constantly, scraping the bottom and corners of the pan, until it just comes to a simmer.
- As soon as it simmers, take it off the heat and drop in 50g butter. Stir until fully melted.
- Keep whisking until the curd thickens to a spoonable consistency.
- Pour straight into a jar and leave to cool before putting the lid on and transferring to the fridge.
