Easy Homemade Lemon Curd
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Have you ever made something, and then immediately wish you hadn't done it, because there is just no going back? This is one of those things. It's way too good, and I've already made myself a little sick with all my "tasting".
First, backing up: Why did I do this to myself?
We've been buying this amazing locally made Greek yogurt. It's a total treat for us because it is EXPENSIVE. We're talking $12 for a quart of yogurt. And you know my kids can polish that off in one sitting! I guess if I put it in perspective, $12 for yogurt is certainly cheaper and healthier than taking them out for breakfast. Or maybe I should compare it to going out for ice cream - because this stuff is so decadent that it's more like a desert. Only, yogurt! Protein! So it's better than taking them out for ice cream. Still, expensive for yogurt. We've tried every flavor and our very favorite is the lemon curd flavor.
Since my kids keep asking for it, rather than break the bank buying more and more and more, I figured I'd better try to make my own. It's honey sweetened, creamy Greek yogurt, with lemon curd folded in. I can do that. I make yogurt all the time, so that part is no big deal. Then it just comes down to making lemon curd.
And that's the part I wish I hadn't done. Because I can't stop 'tasting' it.
I asked for suggestions, and I searched around a bit, and the recipe I came up with is a combination of a few things. Ingredients and quantities mostly influenced by a recipe that a reader shared with me, some of the technique borrowed from an Ina Garten recipe, and some just made up because it seemed right to me. That's how I cook.
This is a big recipe. It makes about 4 pints - the jars you see here plus a little more (I spilled a little). You could certainly cut it in half if you don't think you'll use this up. But my philosophy when you're making yummy things that take a bit of work, is that you might as well make more and share. It's delicious and decadent and such a special thing to share. So make a few jars and give one or two away, people will love you.
Easy Homemade Lemon Curd
Ingredients:
12 eggs
2 cups lemon juice
Peels from about 6 lemons (about 1/4 cup)
3 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
Directions:
Using a carrot peeler, remove the zest of the lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith.
Put the zest in a high powered blender (or food processor fitted with the steel blade). Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.
Add eggs, lemon juice, salt and vanilla and process until well blended.
Pour through a strainer into a pot. (You could skip this step, but I thought my kids might not eat it if the texture of the lemon zest remained.)
Add the butter, cut into chunks.
Cook slowly over low heat, stirring constantly. The butter will melt and the mixture will slowly start to thicken. This should take about 10 minutes.
When it is thickened, coating a spoon, remove from heat.
Pour into containers and refrigerate to cool.
It's all really quite easy, and I think if you wanted to speed things up you could probably skip the separate step of pulsing the lemon zest and sugar first, and instead just put everything in the blend and whiz it up and then pour into the pan.
I really want to try a version of this with just honey. I did actually use a bit of honey in this one - I only had about 2 1/2 cups of sugar, so I used that plus 1/2 cup of honey.
We will be enjoying this mixed with yogurt for breakfast. I think it would be wonderful over vanilla ice cream, or spread between layers of a white cake, or even in the place of jam on a muffin or toast.
Enjoy!
