Lemon Curd

Ingredients

• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1½ cup sugar
• pinch salt
• juice of 3 lemons
• grated peel of 1 lemon
• ½ cup butter, at room temperature

Method

1. In the top of a double boiler lightly beat the eggs; add the sugar and salt. Stir in the lemon juice, grated peel and butter. Fill the bottom of the double boiler with an inch of water. Set the top section onto the lower part of the double boiler and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to keep the water hot but not bubbling (simmering). With a whisk stir constantly until the mixture thickens, about 10 to 20 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and set the upper pan in cold water to cool quickly and completely. (The mixture will continue thickening as it cools.)
3. Use the lemon curd immediately or refrigerate. To store, pour into a covered bowl or wide-mouthed jar with a lid, and put a layer of plastic wrap on the surface. Cover the container with its lid and refrigerate immediately. Kept well-chilled, the curd will keep for a week or more.

Notes

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups. Adapted from Bernard Clayton Jr.'s "The Complete Book of Pastry" (Simon and Schuster). Lemon curd, also known as lemon butter or lemon cheese, is a thick, tart-sweet sauce especially popular in the British Isles. Use as a filling for cakes, tarts and tartlets or as a spread anywhere you would use a fruit butter or thick jam.

Original card

The recipe above was transcribed from this scan of Vera’s original card.

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