If you love classic Lemon Curd, you will be delighted to discover how easy it is to make. Lemon Curd is the colour of sunshine, smooth and creamy, sweet but with a lemony tang. Spread on a slice of toast, top pancakes or waffles, fill cakes and cookies and so much more. You’ll find so many ways to enjoy this delicious spread.
4teaspoonlemon zest - finely grated and loosely packedSee Note 1
¾cup + 1 tbsp(200 ml) lemon juice - strainedSee Notes 1 and 2
Instructions
To Sterilise Jars:
To begin, you need to sterilise your jar or jars. Choose glass jars with an airtight lid. Wash the jars and lids either in the dishwasher or with hot soapy water and rinse well. Allow the lids to air dry. Place the jars into an oven which has been preheated to 130 Degrees C (270 F). Place the jars into the oven for at least 20 minutes. Remove the jars and leave to cool a little before adding the curd.
For the Lemon Curd:
Add the egg yolks and sugar to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until well combined.Do not add sugar to yolks and leave them to stand. The sugar changes the chemical structure of the eggs and “cooks” the yolk. So, once you add sugar to the yolks, be sure to mix right away for a smooth and creamy result.
Tip the whisked yolks and sugar into a heavy-based, non-reactive saucepan (See Note 3). Add the butter, lemon zest and juice to the pan.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and, using a whisk, stir constantly until the mixture just comes to simmering point. As soon as the bubbles appear, just before boiling point, remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir for a minute or so. The curd will thicken as it cools. Stir occasionally as the curd cools to prevent a skin forming.
Transfer to sterilised jars while the curd is still slightly warm. When the curd is cold, add the lids and seal well.The Lemon Curd will keep for up to 2 weeks if well sealed in sterilised jars and refrigerated.
Notes
Lemons: I used 6 lemons, but the number may vary, depending on their size and how much juice they contain. To extract the maximum juice, roll the lemon on the kitchen bench, firmly pressing with the palm of your hand, for about 10 seconds. This will soften the flesh, making it easier to extract the juice. Ensure you zest the lemon before juicing it. If making Lemon Curd using Meyer lemons, I reduce the amount of sugar and use 300g (1 ⅓ cups) as they are less acidic than other lemon varieties.
Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons).
Non-reactive saucepans: are those which are ceramic, stainless steel, glass or enamelled cookware. Copper, iron and aluminium pans are reactive. Acidic foods, such as lemons, may take on a metallic taste and discolour if cooked in such pans.
Nutritional information: is based on the entire recipe.