I love lemons and I envy people who are lucky enough to own their own tree. Unfortunately, I live in northern California where our winters are too cold for citrus trees. But one day years ago, desperate for my own lemon tree, I bought one. Each winter I’d bring my little friend into the house to bask in the sunlight by my kitchen sliding door. Then one day he just got too big to be wheeling indoors, so he finally had to weather the winter cold outside. I tried to keep him warm during the freezing nights by covering him with a tarp, but it was too much for him to bear. He was only three when I lost him.
Last week, one of Lindsay’s co-attorneys gave her a bagful of Meyer lemons that grew in his yard. I was delighted. It was like a pile of gold. And grateful for this bounty, I thought I would make some lemon curd as a thank you gift for Lindsay’s friend. Meyer lemons are kind of a sweet lemon, if you can even say that about lemons. Kind of an oxymoron. But they really do not have as much pucker power as their sour and tart cousin, the Eureka lemon. Nonetheless, they are wonderful with their smoother and darker yellow skin, and very juicy almost orange flesh.
Some people like their lemon curd on the sweeter side, so go ahead and adjust the sugar by adding an additional tablespoon or two. But remember to add and taste, add and taste. I also strained it as a final step to get the silky smooth texture.
The first time I made it, I didn’t strain it and I ended up with a somewhat grainy curd with lots of small lumps from the egg white. So definitely strain it.
The grandkids love it by itself with a dollop of whipped cream. It’s also great as a filling for donuts, cupcakes, cakes, and tarts. You can use it as a topping for desserts, or blended with whipped cream, it becomes a delicious mousse. My favorite? Any which way. It’s lemon!
- ¾ cup Meyer lemon juice
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup sweet butter
Combine the lemon juice, sugar, and zest in a pot. Whisk the eggs and add it to the mixture. Cut the butter into small chunks and add it to the pot.
Heat on medium/low stirring constantly. This is the time to add an additional tablespoon of sugar if you want a sweeter curd.
Keep stirring until the curd thickens. This will take several minutes. The curd is done when the first bubble appears from heating. Remove from heat. You do not want to cook the curd. When you lift your spoon out of the curd, and run your finger over the back of it, it should leave a path.
Pour into a strainer. This will make it silky smooth.
Cool or keep in fridge for one week.
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