Lemon Curd

Lemon curd is something that I remember eating only a handful of times as a child, but I remember those little moments well and with pure enjoyment! Whoever thought of making a spread using lemons and dairy is a genius of ginormous proportions.

There is a bit of debate surrounding lemon curd and its cousin lemon cheese. The ingredients of both are the same, however the cooking process and balance of ingredients appear to be slightly different and this results in a thinner lemon curd over a thicker lemon cheese.

The recipe I have used is from a book accompanying the first series of the 'Great British Bake Off'', a fantastic BBC competition program featuring some marvellous bakes and some huge bake mistakes! Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood make a critical dynamic duo with an almost good cop/ bad cop essence. The challenges are very British indeed.

The recipes in the 'How to Bake', book were developed by Linda Collister and may I say, isn't she a dear. This lemon curd came out very nicely and I dare say it is simple and easy for anyone to make.

Ingredients makes 500g

125g butter
225g sugar
3 unwaxed lemons, grated and zested.
3 large eggs (preferably free range).

Method

Place the butter, sugar, lemon zest and juice into a heatproof bowl.
Place over a simmering pan of water, but don't allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water below.
Stir gently with a spoon or spatula until the butter is melted and the consistency smooth.
Remove the bowl from the pan, pour the beaten eggs into the mixture and stir well.
Replace the bowl back over the water and stir continuously until the mixture thickens. Don't be tempted to increase from a low heat as the eggs will cook too quickly and scramble! Oops.
The curd is ready when it coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Transfer to a storage container, allow to cool and keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.