Lemon Curd

Lemon curd is like sunshine in your mouth!  Lemon curd on a freshly baked scone is one of my true pleasures in life.  It is the base of Lemon Souffles. There would be no Lemon Meringue Pie without it.  It is a ridiculous topping on good vanilla ice cream.  A little dish of lemon curd with fresh berries will cure anything that aches your soul.  It is like sunshine in your mouth.  

Basically, it is lemon custard but with much more juice and zest.  You can make curd with almost any fruit.  Strawberry curd with a little mint would be divine.  I have had mango curd and passion fruit both of which were equally delectable.  I just saw a recipe for a grapefruit, almond cake that was layered with grapefruit curd = mind-blowing.  Lemon Curd has a smooth, luxurious, juicy, sweet taste. Curd is sweet and buttery but with a tart finish that balances everything out. 

Lemon Curd is easy to make but it does require you to pay attention while it cooks. You need to make sure that the eggs don't scramble when they are incorporated into the buttery, lemon mixture that is cooking on the stove-top.

This is the recipe I have been making for years!  It was originally published by Epicurious as the base to Hot Lemon Souffles, which just happens to be my best friends favorite dessert I make, so I have made this A TON over the last 15 years.  There are other recipes but this one is perfect.

YIELD 

Makes about 1 1/3 cups 

INGREDIENTS

1. • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
   • 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
   • 1/2 cup sugar
   • 3 large eggs
   • 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into bits

PREPARATION

1. Whisk together juice, zest, sugar, and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 6 minutes.
2. Transfer lemon curd to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with plastic wrap, until cold, at least 1 hour.
2.