eat make read

I’m going to do it again—winter citrus’ i heart you! This time I’m going to sing the praises of meyer lemons, the sweeter, more sophisticated cousin to the lemon. Meyer lemons have a smoother skin and are often slightly more orange than a common lemon. They bring depth to dishes like lemons do, but they just have a little less tartness. And since they’re not in the grocery store year round (at least in NYC), they feel like little treats. So this week, upon being invited to a brunch party at a friend’s house, I decided to make some meyer lemon curd. It’s a snap to make and tastes like heaven on everything from toast to waffles.

As I mentioned, making curd is easy to make but it can be intimidating to people because you have to give it constant attention—but only for about 10 minutes. There are different methods—you can use a double boiler, which will prevent burning, or you can be a dare devil like me and use direct heat. You can do it, I swear.

So, making it goes like this. First, you combine lemon juice (you can also use other fruit juices), sugar, egg yolks, eggs and salt in a pan. Then, you’ll add butter over low heat, gently melting it and whisking constantly. Remember, whisking is key throughout this recipe. Once the butter is melted, you simply turn the heat up a bit, keep whisking and soon enough the lovely yellow mixture will begin to thicken. Slight curdling will occur, so once the mixture is thick enough, just pour the mixture through a sieve to weed out those little eggy bits. After it’s strained I added zest to give the creamy curd a little punch.

The result is a silky, luscious curd (hmmm, luscious and curd don’t really seem to go hand in hand, do they? It’s true though, I promise!) that is creamy and lemony, with a nice balance of sweet and tangy. It’s the perfect little spread to make your morning a little more special. Try it, you’ll love it!

meyer lemon curd
adapted from david lebovitz

zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup freshly-squeezed meyer lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)
1/3 cup sugar (or 1/2 cup if using regular lemons)
2 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

1
Zest the lemons, then place the zest aside, along with a mesh strainer over a bowl.

2
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks, eggs, and salt.

3
Add the butter cubes and set the pan over low heat, whisking constantly until the butter is melted.

4
Increase the heat and cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and just begins to become jelly-like. It’s done when you lift the whisk and the mixture holds its shape when it falls back into the saucepan from the whisk.

5
Immediately press the curd through the strainer.

6
Once strained, gently incorporate the lemon zest. Store the lemon curd in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Serving: Lemon curd is wonderful spread on toast or pancakes. It can also be used as a cake filling and you can make a tangy lemon cream to serve alongside gingerbread by folding in an equal amount of whipped cream.