The first time I tasted lemon curd, I fell powerfully and intensely in love with its tart creaminess. I was 11 years old and my family had received a jar of homemade lemon curd from my cousins in Walnut Creek, CA. They kept chickens in their backyard, had lemon trees out front and so made jars of curd using these homegrown ingredients to send to friends and family for the holidays.
For a few days, I kept up the charade of sharing this sunshiny jar with my parents and sister, dutifully dolloping scant spoonfuls onto toast. However, on the third day, I couldn’t continue to resist. I removed the half-full jar from the fridge, snuck to my room and ate the rest of that amazing curd with a spoon. I am not to be trusted when it comes to lemon curd.
Speaking of meyer lemons. One of the magical things about Southern California is that they just grow on trees there. I was born in Los Angeles and for my first nine years lived amidst that magical bounty. Our Hawaiian mailman taught me to eat the tender bossoms from the the guava tree along our front walkway and my grandma Bunny had a tree that produced heaps of sweet/tart meyer lemons each year (my mom used to squeeze them and freeze the juice into ice cubes). Having lived in colder climates for the last 21 years, I am startled when I am reminded that there are places where people can just walk outside and pick citrus (and that I was once one of them).
For those of you who have yet to taste a meyer lemon, they’re thinner skinned and sweeter than your typical lemon. They are also intensely fragrant, and give this curd a lovely, delicate taste/aroma.
Making curd is time consuming, but once your ingredients are all assembled, it goes quickly. This basic recipe makes just a single pint, but happily you can easily double or triple it without any ill effects. Separate six eggs, tucking the whites into a jar for later use (I’m thinking of making a batch of meringue cookies tomorrow). Zest three juicy meyer lemons (make sure to pick ones that seem heavy for their size). Juice the lemons (always buy one extra, in case you don’t get quite enough juice).
Measure out 1 cup of sugar and set a heavy bottomed pot over low heat. Whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar. Pour in the lemon juice and switch to a wooden spoon for stirring (using a whisk past the initial step will aerate your curd and your final product won’t be silken). Don’t worry if you get a few bits of cooked eggs spread throughout your curd, a quick trip through a fine mesh sieve at the end will take care of them.
When the sugar, egg yolk and lemon juice have thickened (it takes 10-15 minutes of cooking over very low heat and near-constant stirring to get to this point), stir in the butter until it’s melted. Remove the pot from the heat and pour the curd through a mesh sieve that you’ve perched over a glass or stainless steel bowl. Gently work the curd through the sieve with a wooden spoon, taking care not to pulverize any of those cooked egg bits to the point where they’re small enough to get through the mesh. Whisk in the lemon zest and pour the lemon curd into your prepared jars.
You can process lemon curd to make it shelf stable, but it doesn’t have the shelf life of other jams and preserves. You won’t want to keep it more than two months (but with something this good, I truly doubt you’ll have it hanging around that long). Process half and quarter pints in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes (starting the timer when the water returns to a boil so that they get the full effect of 15 minutes of boiling water processing).
For those of you who like recipes in a traditional format, sans narrative, it is after the jump.
Meyer Lemon Curd
adapted from The Martha Stewart Cookbook
6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
3 meyer lemons, juiced (you should get a generous 1/2 cup. Make sure to strain it, to ensure you get all the seeds)
1 stick of butter, cut into chunks
zest from the juiced lemons
In a small, heavy bottom pot over medium heat, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Add the lemon juice and switch to stirring with a wooden spoon, so as not to aerate the curd. Stir continually for 10-15 minutes, adjusting the heat as you go to ensure that it does not boil. Your curd is done when it has thickened and coats the back of the spoon. Drop in the butter and stir until melted.
Position a fine mesh sieve over a glass or stainless steel bowl and pour the curd through it, to remove any bits of cooked egg. Whisk in the zest.
Pour the curd (a single batch will make one pint of curd) into your prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. If you want to process them for shelf stability, process them in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes (start the time when the water returns to a boil). According to So Easy to Preserve, it is best to process only in half-pint jars or smaller, as they allow better heat infiltration.
Eat on toast, stirred into plain yogurt or straight from the jar with a spoon.
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Comments ( 33 )
[...] citrus curd. Apparently I wasn’t the only one with the curd idea this week. Marisa at Food in Jars and Laura over at (not so) Urban Hennery both made Meyer lemon curd this week. But, ha! I made [...]
Can Jam: Lime Curd for Water Bath Canning « local kitchen added these pithy words on Jan 19 10 at 10:53 am[...] acabado de ler no meu readear o post do food in jars sobre lemon curd. Fiquei morrendo de vontade, achei tão lindo aquele creme, mas nunca tinha ouvido falar nele, [...]
Lemon Curd « PicNic… PicMe added these pithy words on Feb 03 10 at 11:11 am[...] with berries or pound cake. The curd recipe I used, which came from the fabulous canning blog Food In Jars, called for six egg yolks. I simply could not throw out all those egg whites, so after separating [...]
Waste Not, Want Not « West of the Loop added these pithy words on Mar 19 10 at 2:46 pmYum… cannot wait to try this one!! I’d like some RIGHT NOW!
1. Darby added these pithy words on
Jan 17 10 at
10:24 am
my Meyer Lemon tree is bursting with lemons. came upon your post on just the right Sunday. Thank you!
2. Amy O'Kane added these pithy words on
Jan 17 10 at
11:24 am
I am SO doing this. I have never put lemon curd in yogurt, but since I fell in love with putting jam in greek yogurt thanks to you, I am sure this suggestion is also excellent. Until now, my preferred lemon curd media were popovers and scones.
I have questions, though…if I can’t find Meyer lemons, can I use regular ones in the same recipe? Will I need more sugar? And is “lime curd” good? I’ve never heard of it, but is there any reason why not to make it?
By the way, there is a new post up on Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories about making marmalade. They usually do geekier projects than that, but I think this canning thing is really spreading!
3. Fran added these pithy words on
Jan 17 10 at
11:33 am
Darby, it is so good! I divided it between two jars, and I’m taking one over to my cousins today, so that I’m not tempted to eat the whole darn batch.
Amy, how lucky are you to have a Meyer lemon tree! I can only imagine that this already-delicious curd would improve dramatically with super-fresh fruit.
Fran, you could use regular lemons without making any major adjustments. However, if you want the sweet/tart flavor of Meyer lemons, try substituting the juice of one mandarin orange for one regular lemon. Also, conventional lemons aren’t quite a juicy as Meyers, so you’ll need one or two more. And yes, you can do the exact same thing with lime juice/zest for lime curd.
4. Marisa added these pithy words on
Jan 17 10 at
12:01 pm
I’ve never tasted lemon curd and I ran across a recipe last night on another site. I was glad to see your post about it this morning. Lovely, just lovely! Looks delicious too!
5. Cathy (breadexperience) added these pithy words on
Jan 17 10 at
12:30 pm
I find it so exotic that people can outside and pick citrus in their backyard. Love lemon curd – will need to buy some and try this!
6. Kristina added these pithy words on
Jan 17 10 at
2:02 pm
I’ve never made lemon curd, but this looks fantastic! I’ll have to get some lemons soon and make this. Your pictures are so bright and cheerful, it’s making me long for warmer days too!
7. Jacqui added these pithy words on
Jan 17 10 at
2:08 pm
Wonderful! Even as far north as the Bay Area, where I grew up, Meyer lemons spill over the sidewalk in suburbs – oh how I wish I could come across that today, northwest of Seattle. Might have to call in a few favors from my CA peeps after reading how do-able you make this recipe sound. I have never made it but love the little jars of it from England. I too have been known to sneak lemon curd with a spoon – so delicious.
8. Bonnie Story added these pithy words on
Jan 17 10 at
2:16 pm
The lemon curd looks incredible. And I bet it tastes divine.
9. Wendi added these pithy words on
Jan 17 10 at
2:31 pm
I LOVE lemon curd – any citrus curd, actually. I’ve made lime curd and orange curd using the identical recipe. And I saw that Nigella Lawson has a recipe for cranberry curd.
I’d like to mess around with some Meyer lemons – I’ve only used regular ones.
10. Margo added these pithy words on
Jan 17 10 at
3:13 pm
Mmmmmm – lemon curd is *so* good. To make other citrus curds (tangerine curd is particularly delicate and yummy), I usually still use 1 lemon and substitute other citrus for the rest.
This is actually a good thing to do in the microwave, though it’s not hard to make on the stove-top, either. There’s a good recipe in “The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving” – basically, you mix all the non-egg ingredients together and heat on high until the butter’s melted and everything’s hot. Then you gradually add the hot lemon mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly. Then you microwave (uncovered) on medium heat for a minute or two in 30 second intervals, stirring every time. Stop microwaving when the mixture has thickened and strain if you don’t like the little bits of cooked egg that can develop.
11. Another Marisa added these pithy words on
Jan 17 10 at
5:52 pm
I just LOVE lemons and lemon anything! I have GOT to try this when I find some lemons for a good price again! Never heard of Meyer lemons before!
12. Rose added these pithy words on
Jan 17 10 at
9:11 pm
Too funny–just last weekend my sister-in-law and I were discussing whether or not you could preserve lemon curd. We suspected, with the butter and eggs the answer was probably not unless you are an industrial op! (I think we also agreed it was a bit irrelevant as we’d probably eat it before it could ever spoil in the fridge anyway). Thanks for this post!
13. Sara added these pithy words on
Jan 17 10 at
9:46 pm
wow… that looks good! i’ve been wondering how to make lemon curd. thanks for the post.
14. Lindsay added these pithy words on
Jan 18 10 at
12:07 am
Oh, that looks scrumptious. Can I just stick my finger in? Question, can you make this recipe with regular lemons? I can’t imagine someplace warm enough to have citrus everywhere.
15. Nicole added these pithy words on
Jan 18 10 at
12:13 am
Yum! Having just eaten most of the Dori Greenspan’s lemon tart I was wondering if it was possible to can curd. You just answered my question! But 2 months’ worth of curd is probably not enough to carry me over to next citrus season…even if I totally gorge. ahem.
16. Sustainable Eats added these pithy words on
Jan 18 10 at
3:28 am
Those lemons are so beautiful. And such a nicely written post. I was always amazed when I saw citrus laden trees in California. It was like being on Mars.
17. Julia added these pithy words on
Jan 18 10 at
12:14 pm
For my husband birthday early in the month I made a lemon meringue pie – one of his favorotes – using home made lemon curd with regular lemons and ONE Meyer lemon from my potted tree (was not a good year for lemons for me). Their flavor is indeed so much more pronounced!
I never thought of water-canning the curd because of the eggs. Was that the first time you did it?
18. Sylvie, Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener added these pithy words on
Jan 18 10 at
9:39 pm
Another Marisa, that’s awesome that you can make it in the microwave!
Nicole, you can certainly make this recipe with regular lemons.
Sylvie, according to So Easy to Preserve, it is perfectly safe to water bath process lemon curd. I haven’t done it personally, because it’s not the sort of thing I want to have around (too indulgent!).
19. Marisa added these pithy words on
Jan 18 10 at
10:52 pm
Thanks, Marisa! It looked so yummy, I was willing to try it, regardless. I think little treats like lemon curd would be great to have on hand for easy presents and a great morale boost in case of an emergency situation.
21. Nicole added these pithy words on
Jan 19 10 at
7:15 pm
You can freeze lemon curd for much longer than you can keep it canned. I just used a jar from 3+ months ago and it tasted perfect! The only problem is I have such a small freezer…
My curd was regular lemons though, and the meyers sound so good, I’m definitely going to restock using your recipe!
22. Talia added these pithy words on
Jan 19 10 at
8:32 pm
23. Marisa, dear, what should the head space be on a jar of lemon curd. I processed mine last night leaving a 1/4 inch head space, like for jam, and I don’t think it was enough; it clearly overflowed, although oddly, the jar sealed okay.
25. Emily added these pithy words on
Feb 07 10 at
8:14 pm
Emily, I apologize for leaving that out initially (I’ve updated the recipe above to it includes headspace). So Easy to Preserve advices that you leave 1/2 inch headspace when canning lemon curd.
26. Marisa added these pithy words on
Feb 08 10 at
12:56 am
I just made this. I licked the spoon, and the spatula, and the rim of the bowl, and the bottom of the strainer. I think I like…
27. Tracy added these pithy words on
Mar 08 10 at
9:06 pm
I know you addressed the safety with respect to eggs but what about the butter in it? I was under the impression that you can’t home can anything with dairy?
29. Erin added these pithy words on
Jul 27 10 at
6:04 pm
I’ve never had it so it sounds really different to me. The colors make me want to just take a bit anyways. I’ll have to keep in mind when I feel like making something yummy because this looks delish!
Christy, Home♥Mom
30. Christy, Home♥Mom added these pithy words on
Aug 02 10 at
7:01 pm
I also had questions about water bath processing products with dairy (eggs, butter & heavy cream specifically). I have a wonderfully recipe for lemon curd that I would love to be able to sell but have been too scared to process it. Also I was worried about ending up with a jar of lemon flavored scrambled eggs. If you say it is safe, I’ll try it but maybe only give to my family first. I found a vegan lemon curd recipe that uses parsnips as a base that I’m going to try too. I also make a delicious caramel sauce (with butter & heavy cream) that I would love to be able to can. As it is now I just pour it into jars & keep it in the frig. Any idea if that would be safe to water bath process too?
31. Heather added these pithy words on
Aug 04 10 at
12:40 pm
Hi, I came here because I love making lemon curd but I have the same questions as a few people above – whether it’s safe to home-process lemon curd, and, will I just end up with lemony scrambled eggs. Has anyone else actually tried processing the lemon curd? I’d love to hear how it turned out before I try my hand at this… thanks!
32. Dina added these pithy words on
Aug 27 10 at
9:31 am
Heather, as far as I know, it is not safe to water bath process caramel and chocolate sauces (anything that has a dairy base is a no-go).
Dina, it is safe to process the lemon curd. You do not end up with scrambled eggs. The egg yolk has already been tempered and incorporated into the rest of the ingredients, so it can’t scramble.
33. Marisa added these pithy words on
Aug 27 10 at
9:47 am
