Pucker Up! – The Great Lemon Curd Experiment

Easy Lemon Curd

Freshly picked lemons from my parent’s tree – what a beautiful gift!  My step Mom Cookie & Dad have some citrus trees that produce the most amazing grapefruit & lemons, & they are always so generous in sharing them with us.  This last batch of lemons went into preparing some wonderful savory dishes, with more left over & just begging to be used!  Making something to showcase these beauties seemed like the right thing to do, & lemon curd would fit the bill! Because I have never made lemon curd, I began researching recipes, tips & methods until I found an interesting & seemingly foolproof approach.  Since curdling can be an issue, this method boasts a perfect fluffy, satiny-smooth lemon curd.   My sister Jill & I decided to put this method to the test using two completely different recipes; one sugar free, the other with sugar.  One of the recipes used a whole egg/egg yolk combination, the other used only whole eggs.  Both recipes called for completely different methods.  So side by side we  measured, mixed, & cooked our separate recipes, but substituting this new approach.  We noticed a huge difference in the color & texture after mixing & while cooking.  Mine was a creamy light colored curd, hers was more of a bright yellow, translucent curd – similar to what you’d find in lemon meringue pie filling.

Cooking Lemon Curd

So what’s this amazing foolproof method?  It’s very simple – instead of combining the ingredients over the stove-top, the ingredients are mixed before heating as you would if you were baking something.  Using an electric mixer, cream the butter & sugar very well until fluffy.  Then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each one thoroughly.  Finally, mix in the lemon juice & zest, then continue to beat until light & fluffy.  Transfer the mixture to a saucepan, & heat this mixture over a low heat for about 10 minutes.  The mixture thickens at about 170 F. or just below a simmer.  Cool & refrigerate. What was the final result?  You won’t believe this…they were exactly the same!  They both had that beautiful fluffy, satiny-smooth texture, & they were even the same color. So bottom line…this method is a keeper, & it’s super easy! On a side note, with these two recipes,  we couldn’t tell which one was sugar free & which one wasn’t! Ina Garten’s recipe I Breathe I’m Hungry’s recipe Serve the lemon curd with scones, or as a filling in layer cakes, tarts, cream puffs etc.

Lemon Curd Shortcake Dessert

Easy Lemon Curd No Canning!

Easy Lemon Curd