Lemon curd
A jar of lemon curd in the fridge offers another alternative to the question: “What shall I spread on my toast this morning?” But there are other uses for it: as a filling for macarons, cakes or pavlova, as a topping for ice cream or spread on scones or waffles. If you do spread it on toast, don’t butter it first: it’s plenty buttery already and will melt into hot toast.
Ingredients
Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 Tbsp) 1/ cup lemon juice (roughly the juice of 3 lemons) 3 2 /3 cup white sugar
4 extra large egg yolks (reserve whites for a meringue or omelette) Pinch of salt
85 soft butter
Method
Zest 1 lemon first and set the zest aside, then squeeze the juice of 3 lemons into a bowl, strained through a fine sieve.
Add to the bowl the zest, sugar, egg yolks, and salt. (Not the butter.)
Have to hand the softened butter for whisking in after it’s cooked.
Use a double boiler or, if you don’t have one, a metal bowl over a pot containing about 5 cm of water. Turn on the heat and, when it boils, reduce to a very low heat and place the bowl in it. Immediately start whisking, using a hand-held whisk (it’s worth the effort). Continue whisking for 9 to 10 minutes and the curd thickens.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter a bit at a time until all is incorporated. Spoon into a sterilised jar and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. It will thicken considerably in the fridge. And your toast will be very happy.