Sure, you could buy lemon curd off the shelf at the local grocery. And it would be mmm, okay. Not bad. Or! You could make your own homemade lemon curd. Not only will it taste better, but the ingredients will only tally up to half of what the single jar costs. Maybe a third, depending where you shop.($9.58 at Kroger!!) Especially if you already have the eggs, sugar and butter in your house and only have to spring for the lemons.

Let me assure you, this is not as hard as it looks. My method involves tempering the eggs because I don’t care for lemon scrambled eggs. But that’s an easy skill to learn and master, though it does require a touch of patience. If you hurry, you get scrambled eggs, not delicious yummy.

It also requires you to know how to use a double-boiler. Now I understand that not everyone has one. That happens to be an easy fix, as you can place a heat-safe bowl over a pan of simmering water, and voila! Double-boiler.

I can hear it now, “Momma, are you sure it’s worth all this work?” Yes. It. Is. Absolutely. 3000% worth it. It’s so good. So very good. And once you learn the process, it’s remarkably simple to repeat over and over again.

Keep the curd for yourself or make a gift of it. It’s mind-blowing how delicious it is. You cannot be blamed for hoarding the curd all to yourself.

Homemade Lemon Curd

Recipe by HRM Coupon QueenCourse: CondimentCuisine: HomestyleDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

jars

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

This homemade lemon curd knocks the socks off of anything you can find in the store. Serve it on scones or toast, slather it into a layer cake, fill a crepe, or use as a filling for lemon tarts. Or, just eat it by the spoonful like a civilized human.

Ingredients

4 large lemons, for juice and zest
1 cup granulated sugar
1 stick butter, cubed and chilled
4 large eggs

Directions

Zest the lemons to get at least 2T of zest, carefully avoiding the white pith. Then juice the lemons. Look for a bare minimum of 2/3 cup of juice.
Set up a double boiler by bringing a pot of water up to a boil, then reducing to a simmer. Place a heatproof bowl over the pot, making sure that the bottom does not touch the water.
Mix sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest and cook gently until sugar has dissolved.
Tempering the Eggs
In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs together until well combined.
While continuously whisking the eggs, carefully ladle a small amount of hot lemon liquid into the eggs. No more than 2T of liquid at a time.
Once liquid has been fully incorporated into the eggs, repeat the process, small amounts at a time. Be patient and go slow.
Continue adding small quantities of the hot liquid to the eggs, until at least one-half to two-thirds of the hot liquid has been added to the eggs.
The Curd Continues
Once eggs are fully tempered and at no risk of curdling, add the entire amount of egg mixture into the bowl on the double boiler, again, whisking constantly.
Continue to cook the curd mixture until it begins to thicken, approximately 10-15 minutes.
Remove cooking bowl from the heat and rest on a clean kitchen towel, to keep the bowl from scuttling around the counter.
Whisk in cold butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until each is incorporated. As more butter is added, it will cool the liquid and help to thicken in. Be ready for a good arm workout at the end.
Pour curd into jars and store in refrigerator.

Notes

You can use as much of the zest as you like. 2 tablespoons is minimal for that refreshing tart lemon flavor, but more will take the lemony taste up.
If you want, you can strain out the zest through a fine mesh sieve before adding the butter, if the texture of the zest will bother you, or if it’s not particularly fine.
This recipe assumes the use of salted butter, as that’s what’s most common in most households. If using unsalted butter, add 1/8 tsp of salt to the sugar and zest at the start. The minor touch of salt actually enhances the sweet and sour tastes!
For the love of all that is right and good in the world, only use REAL BUTTER in this recipe. Not margarine, not plant based substitutes. One they won’t work correctly and you’ll be angry at me. Two, anything but the real stuff will absolutely ruin the taste of the final product.
If you want the lemon taste to dominate the undertone of savory that somehow hits in a good lemon curd, you can reduce the amount of butter by a tablespoon or two. Experiment and see what you like best.