lemon curd

One of my all-time favorite flavors is LEMON! Yum. I wish I lived somewhere far enough south that we could grow our own lemons, but alas…. here we are in the Upper Midwest and lemon trees just don’t hack it.

One easy way to get my fix, for less money than a jar in the grocery might cost is to make your own lemon curd. This is something so fundamental that it’s almost ridiculous posting a recipe and there are myriad adjustments and modifications to make with only 6 ingredients — but simple is often the best when not messed with.

All I can say is I’m salivating right now.

Ingredients:

3 lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
4 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Using a carrot peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.

Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.

Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at about 170 degrees F, or just below simmer. Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate.