Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Lemon Curd



This is the dessert that I learned to make in my most recent cooking class. It is simply...delightful. Not to mention, it is done in a microwave! A traditional curd is done on a double-boiler, and can curdle very easily. This is stirred every minute, preventing it from curdling. Kelcey was honestly embarassed to give us a microwave recipe, but she said it is her #1 go-to recipe for lemon curd, and that she will never do it any other way!


1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 cup fresh lemon juice
3 lemons, zested
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

In a microwave-safe bowl, whicsk together the sugar and eggs until smooth. 

Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest and melted butter. If the butter is hot, make sure to temper it into the egg mixture. Cook in the microwave for one minute intervals, stirring after eachminute until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. This is called Nape in cooking terms: simply dip the back of a spoon in the mixture and run the tip of your finger down the middle. If the mixture stays firm and doesn't leak into the absent space, your curd is done. 

This can take anywhere from 4-7 minutes, depending on your microwave. 
Remove from the microwave and serve on top of, well, anything!
Ice cream
Ginger cookies
Angel Food cake
Tart shell
Tip: This mixture can be stored for up to three weeks in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Also, if you over cook the mixture or forget to stir, you can pass the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the bits of cooked egg.

3 comments:

Ally said...

You are so cute! I can totally see you taking pictures as you go in your kitchen. :) They look yummy!

Katie said...

Ok I know you don't know me but I got referred to your blog by someone I know (lauren shumway?) and I've been loving the recipes you've been posting... I saw your little deal about ciliac's and my sister in law has it so i've been trying out some gluten-free recipes myself. One thing that I love to use in almost everything is cream of chicken, so i found this really easy and inexpensive recipe...gluten-free...

Go to foodallergytalk.com, click on the recipes tab and scroll down until you get to condensed cream soup.... I hope this helps you out! :) It tastes exactly like real cream of chicken and is the same consistency too so it works GREAT in cooking...

I look forward to your new recipes!

Katie Winters

Melanie said...

Chels - I'm SO impressed. Really. And jealous about your cooking class. Sounds like so much fun!