Lemon curd is a sweet, buttery,  lemony spread or topping which has a beautiful rich yellow colour. Although normally made using lemons, any citrus fruit can be used as well as other fruits and berries, see below for some ideas. The only thing to be aware of when substituting lemons for berries is that the colour of the curds made with red and purple berries can be a little odd as they look a litt;e muddy, they taste great though so don’t let the colour put you off.

Link to measurement conversion chart

Ingredients

• 4 unwaxed lemons, zest and juice
• 200g/7oz unrefined caster sugar

• 100g/3½oz unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 3 free-range eggs, plus 1 free-range egg yolk

Method

1. Put the lemon zest and juice, the sugar and the butter into a heatproof bowl. Sit the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl. Stir the mixture every now and again until all of the butter has melted.
2. Lightly whisk the eggs and egg yolk and stir them into the lemon mixture. Whisk until all of the ingredients are well combined, then leave to cook for 10-13 minutes, stirring every now and again, until the mixture is creamy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
3. Remove the lemon curd from the heat and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally as it cools. Once cooled, spoon the lemon curd into sterilised jars and seal.
4. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Serving suggestions and variations

• If you want a richer curd just use the egg yolks.
• I love lemon curd on white bread as a sandwich for a treat. But it is also a great filling for cakes, especially a lemon version of the Victoria Sandwichor in a lemon drizzle cake
• Serve a dollop on top of ice cream
• Use as part of a filling for choux buns
• Other fruit curds can be made substituting the lemons for an equal amount of juices from;
  • Oranges
  • Limes
  • Tangerines
  • Raspberries
  • Blackberries
  • Pasion fruit
  • Mangoes
  • Gooseberries

   

Acknowledgements

Lemon curd has been part of my life all my life and I have always loved it. I did not make any myself until I had a go at Delia Smith’s Lemon Curd Layer Cake. The flavour was just something else. The mass produced curds just don’t compare. If you really can’t be bothered to make your own always buy a home made product if you can.

You might like to try

• Eggs benedict is a great traditional breakfast dish. Add some salad and it doubles up as a satisfying lunch too
• A light soup can be made more filling with the addition of cheese and French Onion Soup is just perfect with a cheesey crouton.
• Having used all those egg yolks try making a simple Mint Choc Mousse to use the leftover whites

Happy eating!