Lemon Curd Recipe Printer Friendly Page
Lemon curd is a thick, soft and creamy, spreadable cream that has a
wonderful tart yet sweet flavor. Traditionally it was used as a spread
for scones but today we also use it to fill our tarts, pies, cakes,
and as part of a trifle.
Lemon Curd does not use exotic ingredients; just eggs, sugar, lemon
juice, lemon zest, and unsalted butter. It is similar to a lemon
filling or custard in that it is cooked on the stove. But instead of
cooking the lemon curd in a saucepan, we are going to put it in a
stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water (can
use a double boiler). This method does take a little longer, but it
helps prevent the eggs from curdling (little specks of cooked egg).
Just make sure that the water in the bottom saucepan is ‘simmering’
which is defined as the point just short of a boil, that is, when
bubbles start to appear. Oftentimes if you find the lemon curd is not
thickening fast enough, all you need to do is increase the temperature
of the simmering water. Once the lemon curd has become nice and thick
(like hollandaise), remove it from the heat and strain to remove any
lumps that may have formed. Then stir in the butter and lemon zest and
you’re done. Cover immediately with plastic wrap to prevent a skin
from forming and refrigerate. You will find that the lemon curd will
continue to thicken as it cools. It will keep in the refrigerator for
about a week. You can even make the lemon curd lighter in texture and
flavor by folding in a little whipped cream once the curd has been
thoroughly chilled.
When choosing lemons look for ones that are fragrant with brightly
colored oily yellow skins. The best ones are firm, plump, and heavy
for their size. Don’t buy lemons that have blemishes, soft spots, or
are hard and wrinkled. Lemons consist of a yellow outer rind (skin)
that can be of varying thickness and graininess, and can have either a
bumpy or a smooth texture. This outer skin is where most of the
lemon’s wonderful tangy flavor is located. Before removing the outer
rind (zest) make sure you wash the lemon thoroughly (soap and water is
best). When removing the zest do not remove the white membrane (pith)
that is underneath as it is very bitter tasting. Once you have removed
the outer rind, inside the lemon are small vessels called ‘pulp
vesicles’ which contain the pleasantly acidic lemon juice and seeds.
Squeezing the lemon by hand or with a lemon squeezer or reamer
releases this clear tart juice. Always use fresh lemons to make lemon
curd as the bottled lemon juice is a poor substitute and won’t give
you that wonderful sharp and refreshing citrus taste.
In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water,
whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Cook,
stirring constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture
becomes thick (like sour cream or a hollandaise sauce) (160 degrees F
or 71 degrees C). This will take approximately 10 minutes. Remove from
heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps.
Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the
butter has melted. Add the lemon zest and let cool. The lemon curd
will continue to thicken as it cools. Cover immediately (so a skin
doesn’t form) and refrigerate for up to a week.
Makes 1 1/2 cups (360 ml).
If you want a lighter lemon curd whip 1/2 cup (120 ml) of heavy
whipping cream and fold into the lemon curd.
Adapted from Easy Entertaining with Marlene Sorosky
 Lemon Curd Recipe:
3 large eggs
1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons) (do not use the bottled
lemon juice)
1 tablespoon (4 grams) finely shredded lemon zest
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut
into small pieces
Note: Room temperature lemons provide more juice. After squeezing,
strain the juice to remove any pulp. Zest is the yellow,
sweet-flavored outer rind of the lemon. A zester or fine grater can
be used to remove the rind. Cold lemons are much easier to grate.
Grate lemons just before using as the zest will lose moisture if it
sits too long.