Lemon Curd
It's mid-August, and the grandchildren are back in school, with early mornings, brand new shoes, and sharpened pencils!
Almost every school morning, my Dad would walk from room to room, flipping on the lights, singing "Good morning to you!" and encouraging us with, "Rise and shine! It's another day in which to excel!"
It was difficult for me to "rise and shine," being that I was never a morning person. I am not even a "breakfast" person. I need serious motivation to face the day. I need, well, sunshine in a jar!
Enter Lemon Curd, a sort of lemony, creamy spread, not "curdy" at all, so I have no idea why it is called that! It is bright, tart/sweet, and smooth. I first encountered lemon curd at a traditional 3-course English tea. "Warm scones with lemon curd and clotted cream." I was frightened by the description but became instantly hooked, and not "just" with tea and scones.
Lemon curd is delicious on warm scones, of course, but also biscuits, or toast, or to fill the thumbprint in "thumbprint cookies," or folded with whipped cream in a Graham cracker pie shell, or to spoon into plain yogurt.
Skip the "store-bought" variety; it tastes almost medicinal. Lemon curd is easy to make, requiring only 4 basic ingredients, plus a double boiler, a whisk, and a strong arm. If you don't have a double boiler, you can use a metal mixing bowl over a 2-quart sized saucepan filled 1/3 with water, set to medium high heat.
Lemon Curd
3/4 cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
2 & 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 & 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp, or 3/4 cup) butter
In the top of a double boiler, whisk lemon juice, sugar, and eggs, stirring until thickened. Whisk in butter, 2-3 tbsp at a time until it is all incorporated. I then scrape it through a fine mesh strainer. This step is not absolutely necessary, but I once found some bits of cooked egg white, and, well...I do have issues with texture! I pour the finished product into Mason jars and seal. Cool, then refrigerate. Makes about 3 cups.
Almost every school morning, my Dad would walk from room to room, flipping on the lights, singing "Good morning to you!" and encouraging us with, "Rise and shine! It's another day in which to excel!"
It was difficult for me to "rise and shine," being that I was never a morning person. I am not even a "breakfast" person. I need serious motivation to face the day. I need, well, sunshine in a jar!
Enter Lemon Curd, a sort of lemony, creamy spread, not "curdy" at all, so I have no idea why it is called that! It is bright, tart/sweet, and smooth. I first encountered lemon curd at a traditional 3-course English tea. "Warm scones with lemon curd and clotted cream." I was frightened by the description but became instantly hooked, and not "just" with tea and scones.
Lemon curd is delicious on warm scones, of course, but also biscuits, or toast, or to fill the thumbprint in "thumbprint cookies," or folded with whipped cream in a Graham cracker pie shell, or to spoon into plain yogurt.
Skip the "store-bought" variety; it tastes almost medicinal. Lemon curd is easy to make, requiring only 4 basic ingredients, plus a double boiler, a whisk, and a strong arm. If you don't have a double boiler, you can use a metal mixing bowl over a 2-quart sized saucepan filled 1/3 with water, set to medium high heat.
Lemon Curd
3/4 cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
2 & 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 & 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp, or 3/4 cup) butter
In the top of a double boiler, whisk lemon juice, sugar, and eggs, stirring until thickened. Whisk in butter, 2-3 tbsp at a time until it is all incorporated. I then scrape it through a fine mesh strainer. This step is not absolutely necessary, but I once found some bits of cooked egg white, and, well...I do have issues with texture! I pour the finished product into Mason jars and seal. Cool, then refrigerate. Makes about 3 cups.
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