Stolen Fruit
Lemon Curd
Stolen Fruit
When I see our neighbourhood lemon trees groaning under the weight of ripe yellow fruit, I start to conceive zesty sweet treats in my mind, followed shortly by the kitchen. I love using lemon in my every day cooking. Juice and zest in marinades and salad dressings, squeezed over roast veggies, in yoghurt sauces, thrown in to blacken with a Sunday roast chook and a myriad of other delicious applications. My three children walk the 800 meters to school and back each day and often arrive home with stolen fruit, glowing with pride at their hunting and gathering efforts.
When the incoming fruit becomes more than you can handle, there is no better way to make use of lemon than by whipping up a batch of tart curd to share with the neighbours from whom the fruit has been stolen. It’s a surefire way to solidify your relationship and the lemons for years to come.
This recipe for lemon curd is a quick and easy method producing beautiful silky results. Don’t skimp on the straining at the end though, or the curd won’t be nearly as good. If Meghan and Harry chose lemon curd to sandwich their wedding cake then who are the rest of us to argue. Get whisking…
Once the curd is cooked and cooled I suggest you use it in the following ways.
1. On good quality sourdough toast
2. With some freshly baked shortbread and raspberries
3. Poured generously atop, or between layers of, your favourite citrus or coconut cake.
4. Baked into the center of a raspberry muffin
5. Whipped into a set cheesecake
6. Served within an Eaton Mess
Quick Lemon Curd
Makes around 1.5 liters of curd
Ingredients
6 lemons, zested
1 ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 ½ cup caster sugar
10 large eggs
½ tsp salt
375g butter
Method
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and mix well.
Place saucepan on the burner and turn to medium heat.
Whisk continually for 15 minutes. This is to prevent the egg from curdling. Curd will begin to thicken between 10 and 15 minutes.
Pour curd through a fine mesh strainer to remove the zest and any partially cooked egg.
Chill curd for 3 hours or overnight. Curd will continue to thicken as it cools.
If you place hot curd in clean jars and place the lid on tightly they should seal as the curd cools, allowing it to last longer in the fridge.
Notes
Curd should last refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Lemon Curd with Shortbread and Raspberries
