Monday, March 30, 2009

Meyer Lemon Curd


My dad has a small Meyer lemon tree in his yard, bursting with hundreds of juicy lemons. The Meyer lemon fruit is rounder than the common lemon, with a slight orange tint and a sweeter, less acidic flavor. While picking away at his most prized Meyer tree, I contemplated all of my favorite lemon treats to make, and came upon one versatile option-lemon curd. Lemon curd is a great topping for toast and breakfast scones, and a wonderful cookie and tart filler, to name just a few. Plus, you can enjoy some now, and preserve more for later. You really can use any lemon variety you would wish, even Buddha Hand lemons (my grandmother grows these unique varieties-but we’ll save that for another week).

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
3 tablespoons lemon zest, finely grated
6 large egg yolks

Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in sugar, lemon juice, zest and a pinch of salt. Whisk in the yolks until mixture becomes very smooth. Over medium heat, cook the mixture while whisking constantly, until it thickens and leaves a path on the back of a wooden spoon when a finger is drawn across it. Immediately pour lemon curd through a strainer and allow to cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally. Refrigerate covered, until ready to serve. Lemon curd keeps for a month in the refrigerator and for about 3 months in the freezer.

Written by Karen

No comments: