It’s winter and time for citrus!
Yes, it’s true. Unfortunately, we find ourselves back in the sad and dark days of January, waiting for spring to eventually arrive. But don’t worry! At least it means that citrus is in season, so we can bring a bit of brightness back with the zing of a lemon or an orange. Obviously, citrus is probably available for you all year long now, thanks to international trade, but this time of year always inspires us to develop more citrus-heavy recipes. And this lemon curd is just that! Keep reading to learn how you can make this delicious topping to add to any of your favorite sweet desserts or baked goods.
Which recipes is this lemon curd perfect for?
This recipe is one that we’ve had for a while, but we decided that it deserves its own place on the blog. Why? Well, it’s super zingy, a little sweet, very tart, and perfect for a wide variety of bakes and desserts. When paired with sweet creams or pastries, it’s the perfect balance of flavors. On our blog, you can find it used in the following recipes:
- Citronroulade (Lemon Roulade): This roulade consists of a fluffy and airy fatless sponge rolled up with super tart lemon curd and sweet whipped cream. Slice into it and admire the beautiful lemony swirls!
- Mini Pavlovas with Lemon Curd and Blueberry Compote: These showstopping desserts are perfectly balanced with a sweet meringue base, tart lemon curd, delicious blueberry compote, and fluffy whipped cream!
Enjoy any citrus curd with this easy recipe
One of the best parts about this curd recipe is that it’s adaptable to other fruits too. Randomly have a grapefruit or two that need to be used up? Make grapefruit curd. Found a few beautiful blood oranges at the farmers market and want to try your hand at a blood orange curd? Use this recipe. It’s so simple and easy to replace the lemon with whatever you have. You can also adjust the sugar depending on the tartness of the fruit – more if you have really tart lemons and less if you’re using sweet oranges.
Ingredients you’ll need
For this curd, the ingredients are very simple: eggs, sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemons, and butter. As mentioned above, you can use a different type of citrus if you’d like to. Just replace the lemon zest and juice with the zest and juice of the fruit that you want to use. We use US large eggs, so if you’re using a different size, make sure to adjust accordingly. Luckily, the curd is pretty forgiving, so small inaccuracies in measurements won’t matter too much. We use unsalted butter and add our own salt, but you can just use salted butter instead if that’s what you have. Read on to learn how you’ll combine these ingredients to make the curd!
How to make our tart lemon curd
To make the curd, just whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and lemon zest in a bowl, or in a saucepan. Always remember to use a non-metal rubber whisk in a non-stick pot, though! Add the lemon juice and whisk again, then transfer to a saucepan and heat on low to medium heat until it starts to thicken. Whisk constantly, because the eggs are slowly cooking and you don’t want any lumps in the curd, so don’t leave it unmanned for very long! Once it’s lovely and thick, add the butter and whisk again. Transfer to a bowl to cool and carefully cover with plastic wrap, pushing it down onto the surface of the curd. This ensures that it doesn’t form a skin while it cools. Place in the fridge until it’s cooled and you’re ready to use it, then add it to cakes, pastries, desserts, and enjoy!
Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 4 large egg yolks
- 125 grams sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- Lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 180 ml lemon juice
- 42 grams unsalted butter
Instructions
- Combine egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and lemon zest in a medium mixing bowl.
- Whisk together well to combine, making sure there are no cornstarch clumps. The egg yolks will also lighten in color slightly.
- Add in lemon juice and whisk well.
- Transfer the mixture to a pot over medium low heat. Heat the mixture until it thickens, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. It should reach the consistency of a thick custard. Add in the three tablespoons of butter and stir/whisk to combine.
- Transfer to a bowl and place plastic wrap so that it touches the surface of the curd, preventing it from forming a skin.
- After it has cooled down for a bit at room temperature, put it in the fridge and let it cool completely. Store in the fridge and use within a week!
