Lemon Curd – what can I say about it? It is one of those versatile ingredients that most people don’t think about using. You can spread it on toast or muffins for breakfast, use it in pastries with fruit, add it to whipped cream for an easy dessert, or use it in a white wine sauce to serve with fish. Of course there are many more ways to use Lemon Curd but these are some of my favorites.
Here at Foxfield Inn we use Lemon Curd frequently combined with whipped cream to make a Lemon Chiffon Mousse served with fresh strawberries, raspberries or blueberries (or even mixed fruit). A small 2-ounce serving is just the right size to finish breakfast.
We adapted a recipe from Fine Cooking (by Janie Hibler, June 1, 2006) to get a more flavorful curd.
Ingredients:
3 large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 – 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (depending on the strength of the juice flavor; & yup, you gotta taste it)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
zest from two large lemons
Directions:
Whisk the eggs in a medium size bowl. Set aside.
Combine the sugar, lemon juice and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the butter has melted, stir frequently as this helps the butter melt faster.
Remove the pan from the heat. Gradually add to the eggs while continuously whisking – so that the eggs don’t cook from the heat of the lemon-butter mixture. Return mixture to the saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until the mixture reaches 160F and coats the back of a
spoon. If you used the larger amount of lemon juice you may need to take the mixture to 165F for it to coat the back of the spoon.
Remove the curd from the heat and strain into a heatproof container (I like to use a 4-cup measuring cup) to remove any cooked egg. Let cool slightly and press plastic wrap on the surface of the curd – prevents a skin from forming. Refrigerate until complete cooled.
Enjoy!
Dan & Kathryn Bundy, your innkeepers at Foxfield Inn, a Charlottesville bed and breakfast
