When life hands you a lemon make LEMON CURD

I can squeeze a wedge of lemon on just about anything. It adds life to soups, salads, dressings, vegetables and fruits, not to mention water, sparkling or still. If you squeeze more juice than required for a recipe  store the extra in a small container in the freezer so you can have it just when you need it. Don’t forget to also freeze lemon zest. Never squeeze a lemon without zesting it first. I wrap the zest in triple layer of plastic wrap and keep it in the freezer in a freezer bag together with other citrus zest.

Lemon curd is one of the many good thing to make with lemons. It’s beautiful with fresh berries and in all kinds of desserts. Here are some idea of how to use it:

• To flavour whipped cream
• Top your morning oats with a spoonful of lemon curd
• Top pancakes with the curd and scatter berries over
• Use as a base for fruit tarts
• Spread on toast
• Fill a meringue with lemon curd and top with fruits
• Fill a layer cake with lemon curd
• Dig a small well in your muffin and spoon in lemon curd.
• Add a little to a salad dressing for a sweet and tangy flavour
• Filling for crepes
• Filling for lemon bars
• Filling for cream puffs
• Use a sauce “schmear” on a dessert plate.

 

Let me know if you can think of anything else.

 

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This lemon curd recipe if from Ina Garten, of the the Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks fame. The curd is not completely smooth because of the lemon zest, and has a wonderful fresh and zesty flavour. If you want it smooth leave the zest out.

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Ingredients:

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3 lemons

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter

4 eggs

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon of coarse salt

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Directions:

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Using a vegetable peeler peel the zest from the 3 lemons avoiding the white pith. Leaving the zest in makes the curd not completely smooth but delicious. If you want a refined smooth curd leave the zest out.

Place zest in a food processor together with sugar and pulse until the zest is finely chopped and mixed with the sugar. It’s going to be a fairly wet mixture.

In a bowl beat the butter until creamy, then add the sugar-lemon mixture, mixing until blended.

Add the eggs, one at a time, then add lemon juice and salt.

Pour the mixture into a 1 quart saucepan and cook over low heat stirring constantly for about 10 minutes until it thickens. Be careful not to bring the mixture to a boil, only to just below simmer at about 170F.

Remove from heat and let cool. Place a plastic wrap right over the surface of the curd and refrigerate until needed.

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