15 May 2008, Written by Janina A. Larenas in food
HOWTO: Make Meyer Lemon Curd
Lemon curd is a traditional favorite in England, most often used on bread or scones or as a filling for tarts. In my family, even though we aren’t even a little bit British, we use it on everything, from yogurt to toast, to cake slices, to spoonfuls when we think no one is looking. If you combine this with our unnatural love of Meyer lemons, the obvious progression is to make a Meyer lemon curd. Meyer lemons are a type of sweet lemon native China that were introduced to the United States at the turn of the 20th century. It seems like this lemon has been a secret favorite in California as long as I can remember, but in the last few years more and more markets have begin to carry them in the specialty produce aisles. They are often characterized by softer smoother skin, sometimes a slight orange color as the season begins to end. Although my grandmother and aunt have trees that produce two crops a year (winter and spring), Meyer lemons are generally only found in markets in the winter along with other specialty citrus. Right about now, you can usually find the last bits of them being sold off to make room for spring produce. It’s at this time of year that I usually buy them up as fast as possible and make myself a batch Meyer lemon curd; a special way to extend the season just a little bit longer.
There isn’t a whole lot you need to gather in order to make a lemon curd, the ingredients and process are very basic. If you find yourself unable to get your hands on Meyer lemons this late, you can always use a cup of lemon juice instead. This recipe focuses on making a tart and very simple lemon curd, though a more traditional variation will be explained at the end. Keep in mind that the quality of your ingredients affects the quality of your end result. Riper lemons will be more flavorful, fresh farm eggs will have a stronger color and flavor than conventional eggs, and it’s always nice to use a high quality European style butter.
Ingredients:
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1 cup of sugar
- ¾ cup of Meyer lemon juice (strained)
- ¼ cup of lemon juice (strained)
- 1 Tablespoon Meyer lemon zest (for traditional variation)
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Utensils to have handy:
- Double boiler (you can also use a stainless steel or Pyrex bowl)
- Small mesh strainer
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon (especially if this is your first time)
- Ladle
- 4 4oz jars or other equivalent
Bring the water in your double boiler to a steady simmer, keeping the top pot or bowl set aside for mixing. Make sure the water level is low enough to keep the second pot well above the boiling water- you want the lemon curd to cook using the steam, not the water. If you are using a bowl, make sure its large enough to stay above the water, but not so large that the mixture sits above the pot line. As your water heats up, separate 8 yolks into your top pot or bowl, pressing each one through a sieve or small mesh strainer. This will help eliminate lumps often caused from very thick albumen (egg white) that sticks to the yolk, and fresher eggs sometimes have thicker yolks that whisking might not break up properly. Slowly whisk in your cup of sugar. When you are finished, you should have a grainy yellow goo. Slowly add the lemon juices and whisk it until even. Go ahead and just dump the butter chunks in now. Some recipes call to add these slowly over heat, but I haven’t found it makes any difference. Now that you have all your ingredients together, place them over the double boiler and stir with a wooden spoon, slowly, and steadily, making sure to pay special attention to the bottom. Try not to scrape the sides or you will create lumps later in your curd. Take a look at your spoon now and then, hold it up, it should look relatively clean as most of the mixture pours right off. Just keep that in mind for later. You should see a little white foamy looking stuff on the top for the first 8-10 minutes. Once it disappears it means your curd is thickening. This might take longer if you are using a Pyrex bowl since it can act as an insulator for the first part of the heating process. At this point, start checking your wooden spoon to see the curd “coats the back”. Now, this is probably the only difficult or annoying thing about making a lemon curd. If you are familiar with this term, skip ahead past this explanation.
Every recipe uses this phrase to determine when the lemon curd is done, but very few explain what this actually means. When you first start mixing, your spoon will look pretty clear and clean each time you look at it. This is because the mixture is still thin enough that it rolls right off. “Coating the back” of your spoon, means that when you lift your spoon out of the pot, you can see a decent film clinging to the spoon. It will look like you just dipped it in a thin sauce, because that’s exactly what you did. The reason for “back” of the spoon is simply to deter people from thinking the curd caught in the dip of the spoon is there because it’s thick, since most likely it’s there just because it’s a spoon. Basically, it’s an overcomplicated way of saying “you’ll notice it starts to stick to the spoon a bit, giving it a thin coating”. So, don’t worry too much. A good way to test the coating is to run your finger over it, if it holds some shape its ready, if it immediately slides into the empty space, its not quite ready.
So, the lemon curd is ready when it coats the back of your spoon. Remove it from heat and immediately ladle into 4 4oz jars. Screw the lids on right away to prevent a skin forming, and chill in the refrigerator. Most recipes claim it will last up to two weeks, but I’ve had unopened lemon curd last as long as it takes for me to open it, as long as I leave it refrigerated. It’s pretty acidic, and unlikely to turn unless it’s been opened. If you are squeamish, go ahead and use the 2 week recommendation, otherwise I say use your best judgment.
Trouble Shooting:
The best advice I can give you is not to worry too much. After you package up your curd, stick it in the refrigerator and wait for it to cool. If you are concerned about the thickness or texture, open a jar after a few hours and test it. If it’s too thin just stick it back in the double boiler and cook it a little longer. If it’s lumpy, heat it back up, run it through your sieve, and next time stir it a little more evenly.
Traditional Variation:
Traditionally, lemon curd is made with a good amount of zest cooked in. You can either add this to the sugar an hour or so ahead of time to let it soak up the oils, or add it after the sugar but before the butter. If you do this, you will need to strain your lemon curd through a very very fine sieve before ladling it into your jars or it will have a gritty, almost chewy texture. It’s been my experience that the zest is unnecessary and undetectable when you are using a recipe with this much juice. It’s simply an extra step.
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