Best Lemon Curd Recipe

There’s something about Lemon Curd that takes me right back to my childhood days.
Having Jam Tarts for Sunday tea and the mixed box of Raspberry, Apricot or Lemon Curd, I would always go for the Lemon Curd ones.

Although thinking back it was more like a Lemon Jam than the Lemon Curd I know today but it was that Lemony tangy taste, nothing like it. The Lemon curd I make today is not produced for a sell buy date of 2/3 weeks, but if kept in the fridge will last you up to a week.

There are four natural ingredients and no preservatives.

Eggs play a twofold role in the making of Lemon Curd, they give the thickening agent and they give the colour.

Depending on the colour of the egg yolks determines the brightness of the finished curd. Lighter egg yolks will give you a more custard-like colour, whereas the darker the yellow of the yolks will give you a more vibrant lemony colour.

The problem is, we can’t see through the eggshells to see the colour of yolk before they have been broken. So it is either pot luck or you go to a chicken farm and ask the farmer what he feeds his chickens on or more to the point what do his chickens eat.

Obviously, the best eggs to buy are those from chickens that are allowed to wander the fields pecking the natural elements of the ground, plants, grass insects and bugs.It’s from these natural elements that carotenoids are found, which are natural pigments found in some plants.

So either Pastured Hens eggs or totally free-range Hens eggs are going to give a more natural lemony colour to your finished curd.

Sugar Some recipes you will find go for granulated sugar,
I prefer castor sugar as I find it will dissolve quicker and easier when being whisked with the egg.
Always use white sugar, as golden castor sugar will give you a somewhat murky looking Lemon Curd
Lemons obviously the predominant ingredient here, but again choose wisely.
Firstly the most flavoursome element of a lemon is the zest, but producers also add a wax to the skins to keep the fruit looking fresh and shiny, so it is important to remove the wax before you zest any lemon.
Secondly, when choosing your lemons, determine if they feel heavy for the size. 
The heavier a lemon feels the juicier it will be, go for large plump heavy lemons.

Butter it’s the butter that gives your curd the shine and the creaminess.
Only Butter will do, no margarine and no buttery spread.
Salted or unsalted not really an issue, your choice.

What You Will Need
large glass bowl
silicone spatula
whisk
very fine grater
fine sieve