I chose to make lemon curd this week as opposed to buying it simply because it worked out cheaper, tastier and gave greater satisfaction than effortlessly dropping into Tesco just for convenience.  Nothing really good or really worth it comes from convenience, a little bit of elbow grease lubricates the soul and feeds the mind, releasing feel good satisfaction of ‘I did that’.  I pretty much had everything I needed in my store cupboard to make the curd, all I needed to purchase were a few plump juicy lemons at less than a £1 and I was good to go.  As any keen baker I’m sure will admit, grating and juicing citrus fruit is not high on the big list of fun things to do in life but its necessary so I quit whining and got on it with.  Be careful not to spill your precious lemon juice (from experience), its like liquid gold by the time you’re finished the zesting and juicing palava!  I creamed some butter with sugar, chucked in an egg and stirred over a medium heat until I had a lovely rich, thick  yellow emulsion brimming with flavour and a beautiful citrus blast that infused the whole kitchen.  So there you have it, my very own little pot of pure sunshine.  Make yours and spread a little happiness 😀

Ingredients

(yields 1 jar)

40g butter

50g caster sugar

1 egg

Juice and zest of 2 lemons

Method

Place the zest and juice in a heatproof bowl over a pot of barely simmering water (be sure the water isn’t touching the bowl).  Crack in the whole egg and whisk together.  Cream together the butter and sugar and add to the lemony mixture.  It will look curdled and lumpy to start with but keep stirring until you get a mayonnaise like consistency.  I like to check it by dropping a little onto a cold saucer and if it sets nicely then its ready.  Decant into a steralised jar and seal.  I’m sure it will be eaten within a day or so anyway but will keep for up to a couple of weeks in the fridge. After blogging this I also made the curd with limes (quantity 3 as they are smaller) and it was so deliciously tart and sweet – try it!

About Sharon Duffin Photography

Professional photographer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

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