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Friday, February 11, 2011

Meyer Lemon Curd

 
So I know January came and went and there was no new posts from Susi's Kochen und Backen. Honestly this time I don't have much of an excuse. After another sickness ridden month of December (this time the whole family) I realized once January came that all my momentum, all of my mojo, was simply gone. I don't know how to explain it properly, but just the thought of cooking, photographing the meal and then writing a post was too much to comprehend. I guess I needed another month to start getting myself back on track. After months of pretty much being useless, courtesy of the lovely disease "Valley Fever", my house needed some well deserved TLC as did my family. I haven't cooked anything fancy and quite frankly, it felt good to not have some of my self-imposed pressure looming over my head. However, after this long hiatus I'm ready to jump back into the blog world. This time around I will try to take things a little slower though and take a little bit more care of myself in the process. A big thank you, to all of you who decided to stick around. Your support truly means the world to me :o)


Anyhow, what do you make when life hands you Meyer Lemons? Of course, desserts! Not that any of us needed more sweets after the indulgence of the holidays, but my little lemon tree in the backyard was like the little engine that could and provided us with a fantastic amount of Meyer Lemons this year. With a freeze warning looming for Arizona the last week of December, I knew we had to pick all of our lemons as soon as possible so we wouldn't lose any of the precious fruit to the frost.


The first thing on my "to-do" list was a lemon curd. I love anything citrus and knew that this would go over well with the family also. Meyer Lemon's are less tart than store bought, think of them as a cross between a lemon and a mandarin. This recipe comes courtesy of Recipe Girl who adapted the recipe from Gourmet. The curd itself is certainly not a low-calorie dish, but is worth every indulgent spoon full. It is creamy, luscious goodness and with that, worth every calorie.

The recipe is not hard to make, all you need is about 15 minutes and a good stirring arm. Lemon juice, zest and sugar are whisked together in a bowl along with eggs. This mixture is set over simmering water in a double boiler and this is where the fun starts. You keep whisking away until the mixture is nice and thick and reaches a temperature of 160 F. While whisking, a stick of butter gets incorporated in 4 additions. After the curd is nice, thick and glossy, all that's left to do is cover the surface with plastic wrap (to prevent a skin from forming) and set in the fridge until cool.

If you are wondering what to do with lemon curd, let me tell you there is a plethora of options of what you can do with it, here are a few suggestions:

- Fill a white layer cake with the curd
- Use it as a filling in a pre-baked tart shell
- Spread it on a muffin, scone or biscuit
- Fill crepes with it
- Fold in some heavy whipped cream to make a wonderful light mousse
- Use it in a trifle
- Use it as a dip for fresh fruit
- Use it as a dip for homemade gingersnaps



Meyer Lemon Curd
~makes about 1 2/3 cups~

Ingredients:
3 to 4 medium Meyer Lemons (about 1 lb.)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

Preparation:
Finely grate enough zest from lemons to measure 2 teaspoons and squeeze enough juice to measure 1/2 cup. Whisk together zest, juice, sugar, and eggs in a metal bowl and add butter. Set bowl over a saucepan of simmer water and cook, whisking. Once mixture gets warm, add the butter in 4 additions, whisking well after each until incorporated. Continue whisking until thickened and smooth and an instant read thermometer registers 160 degrees F. This can take anywhere from 6 to 15 minutes (depending on how well your bowl is conducting heat). Force curd through a fine sieve set into another bowl. Serve warm or cover surface of curd with plastic wrap and cool completely.

*Of course you can make this recipe with regular lemons as well. In that case increase the sugar to 3/4 cup. This curd will keep well covered in the refrigerator for about 1 week.

Adapted from: Recipe Girl and Gourmet

53 comments:

  1. Welcome back! I almost e'd you earlier this week to say I was hoping you were feeling better. I tried making lemon curd a couple of years ago and was thrilled at how easy it was and how much better the homemade is than the storebought! Kate @kateiscooking

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  2. Kate - thanks so much :o) I agree that the curd is so much better than store-bought and considering how cheap it is (especially when you don't have to buy lemons) this is the much better way to go :o)

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  3. Can't wait to try this. I have a cheesecake recipe that uses lemon curd.

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  4. Danelle - I bet it would be wonderful with a cheesecake (which is big weakness for me)!

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  5. Welcome back Susi! And your site looks gorgeous! The lemon curd looks soooo good. I just adore lemon curd. :)

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  6. Lindsey!!!! Thank you so much :o) I missed you and your incredibly gorgeous desserts, in fact I'm heading over right now to get my fix :o)

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  7. Valley fever, oh no! I remember that always being a risk when I lived down in Tempe. A good friend of my husband's got it and like you, he was very sick for a long time.

    I have thought of you often and am so glad you are back to blogging. And with such a beautiful meyer lemon curd. Take it easy, but you are so talented, keep at it!

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  8. Welcome back, Susi! Glad you got a much needed break and you got you mojo back:) Loving the blog's new look as well!

    I love lemon curd! It's so versatile and even better homemade! How nice that you have your own lemon tree. Your photos are lovely and so beautifully styled.

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  9. Carolyn - thank you so much for your kind words. Yep, I had Valley fever, which is about as awful as it gets. I actually caught it in 2009 for the first time and this was a horrible re-occurrence brought on by a really bad cold and way too much stress. I'm glad to be back though and can't wait to catch up with everyone :o)

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  10. Sommer - good to "see" you :o) Thank you so much for your kind words as well!
    I love having a lemon tree, especially when it actually grows lemons LOL This was the first year we got some and I could have not been more thrilled :o)

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  11. I'm a Valley Fever survivor myself and it is NOT fun, nor is it something you can shrug off like a common cold. Take it easy and let your body heal.

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  12. Gayle - thanks so much for you comment, it means a lot to get input from people who have battled this as well. You are correct that it is NOT fun and it definitely takes time. Hope you are doing well these days and your body is feeling good!

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  13. Nice! My friends' restaurant in NYC, Elsewhere, uses meyer lemon butter with their breakfast pastries. It's amazing and gives me a sense of how this curd would be...amazing!

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  14. Oh, you have no idea what you've done to me! I've been having a serious pregnancy craving for lemon curd for over a week! What was already intense is now raging. Now I've gotta go to the store. :)

    So glad to see you back and hear you're feeling better! Really looking forward to whatever you have in store for us, no matter how few and far between your posts may be.

    Love the new theme, by the way! The pink is lovely!

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  15. Welcome back. :)

    Mmmm...the lemon curd looks delicious.

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  16. Yum! This looks so good. Lemon curd is great with anything for dessert this time of year.

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  17. Erika Beth - Meyer Lemon Butter on Pastries? Yum, that does sound amazing!!! If I ever make it to NYC you'll have to fill me in on where that restaurant is :o)

    mw - I'm sorry I've added to the already existing cravings. Hope you are doing well!
    Glad to hear you like the new theme. I was trying something a little new and will probably switch the colors around depending on the season. The pink seemed fitting for Valentine's though :o)

    briarrose - thanks for your kind comment :o)

    Evan - I agree, Lemon curd IS great with anything for dessert :o) Thanks for stopping by!

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  18. Welcome back! It's so good to see you posting again! And of course, your lemon curd looks fabulous!

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  19. Looking Good !!! Missed you... love the new colors too... First I was not sure if it was the right blog... The Lemon Curd looks amazing, Yummy

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  20. Danielle - thank you so much for your kind words :o)

    Kathy - I've missed you too! Can't wait to check out all of the fabulous things you've been cooking. BTW I made your Spaghetti Squash Mushroom Bake a couple of weeks ago and it was simply divine :o)

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  21. Valley Fever! That is so dangerous. I am so glad you are feeling better. I have definitely missed your amazing recipes. What a treat to have a lemon tree in your yard. I wish I could trade you a few of my peaches, plums and apples in the fall from my Northern AZ yard. I hope you continue to mend!

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  22. Kristen, thanks so much for your sweet words. I have a lemon and a lime tree, but only the lemon tree had fruit this year. I would certainly be up for some of your peaches, plums and apples in return for my citrus fruit ;o)

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  23. Susi, SO good to see you!!! I'm so happy you are feeling better. Take is slow. I haven't heard of Valley Fever, but it doesn't sound pleasant. My daughter has been struggling with cold-like/sinus infection issues since October... she's not a happy camper either.
    On another note... WOW to the Lemon Curd!! I still have yet to make my own and really need to do that. I love citrus in any way and this is such a wonderful use of the lemons. Beautiful pictures as well.
    Welcome back, Susi!!!! XO

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  24. Hi Susi, I've been watching for you. Your new format looks great and your Meyer lemon curd looks awesome. I'm happy to see you again! You are still in my reader, so post when you want to--I'll see it.

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  25. Liebe Susi, Wie schoen, dass es Dir wieder bsseer geht und Du Dich wieder wohl genug fuehlst zum Bloggen. Ich haette auch gerne Zitrusfruechte im Garten was bei unseren Temperaturen ja unvorstellbar ist. Der neue Look Deines Blogs gefaellt mir sehr gut.
    Welcome back!
    Liebe Gruesse
    Kirsten

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  26. Kim - so good to see you around as well :o) I'm sorry to hear that Liv hasn't been feeling well either. My daughter had constant sinus infections when she was a sophomore, but thankfully after that year she hasn't had one since. They are not fun. Hope Liv feels better soon!

    Roquie - I'm so glad to see you, too! Thank you for always leaving a nice comment since the very beginning, it means a lot :o)

    Kirsten - Ich tausche meinen Zitronenbaum gerne fuer Deine Colorado Berge ;o) Der Blick von Deinem Deck alleine waere es wert! Liebe Gruesse,
    Susi

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  27. So glad to see your smiling face again! So glad to hear you got some rest, we all need to sometimes. We had a lot of germs this year, way more than normal. I can't get enough of the meyer lemons, and I would love some curd with them. Hope you and your family have A Very Happy Valentines Day!
    -Gina-

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  28. You're back! and with one winning recipe! I love lemon curd, I would totally eat this out of the bowl!

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  29. Gina - thank you, you are too sweet :o) Hope you and your loved ones enjoy Valentine's Day as well!

    Amy - thank you! And yes, I might have eaten this curd straight out of the bowl as well, but shhhhh, don't tell ;o)

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  30. Hi Susi,

    Long time no see.
    Like your curd recipe. You make it look very easy.

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  31. I love lemon curd but I find I generally end up eating most of it with a spoon before I can put it to another use!

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  32. Welcome back!! Glad you're feeling better!! Lemon curd will cure whatever ails you- you should have made some earlier in the season and you might not have gotten sick, haha!! Everyone loves lemon curd!

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  33. Welcome back, Susi. So glad that you are feeling better. Be sure to take care of yourself and your family.

    Best wishes.

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  34. So glad you're feeling better! I love lemon curd- you're so lucky to have a lemon tree! Meyer lemons are hard to come by around these parts, but I might be able to find some in town. :)

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  35. Cool blog! I'm a US expat living in Austria and your blog will come in handy! I can't wait to try some of the savory recipes! I linked to you on my recent post:
    http://susanhoang.blogspot.co.at/2015/05/munich-mayhem-lemon-tart.html

    Thanks!
    Susan

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  36. I've always found meyer lemons interesting but never had a reason to use them, so I chose your recipe. What a lovely flavor, and so easy. Thanks for sharing!

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  40. I’m confused about the butter. The recipe says to add butter at the beginning but doesn’t say how much. Then when it’s boiling add butter. Can someone elaborate?

    ReplyDelete

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