More Lemons

As you may recall, I am in possession of a lot of Meyer lemons.  I bought them at Costco, where nothing comes in manageable amounts.  And while the lemons do add a bit of sunshine to the kitchen counter, I have to come up with more than lemon scones to use them up before they shrivel into nothing.

A month or two ago I made a lemon curd tart, which was so, so good.  After I poured the lemon curd into the tart shell there was a little left on the bottom of the pot.  Kate made fast work of "cleaning" the pot for me and has been asking ever since if I would make her some lemon curd to spread on toast.  Well, today is her lucky day.

Lemon curd is like the citrus spread of the gods.  It's creamy, rich, and tangy.  In short, it's perfection.  And homemade lemon curd is so much better than even the most gourmet store bought versions.  There's just nothing that isn't better with a little homemade lemon curd spread on it.  Toast and pound cake are my favorite delivery vehicles for lemon curd, but it works so well as a filling for tarts and cake layers.  As Rachel Ray would say, "Yum-O".

So today, which is only in the low 20's with snow expected, is going to be a sunshiny day for Kate.  She's going to get her lemon curd.  I hope she shares.

Recipe:  Lemon Curd
(Adapted from Ina Garten)

Note:  I have also made this recipe substituting in an equal amount of orange, lime, or grapefruit zest and juice.  Each is delicious.

Ingredients:

2 lemons, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 extra large eggs, at room temperature
pinch of salt

Remove the zest from the lemons with a vegetable peeler or zester, being careful to avoid the white pith. Squeeze the lemons to make 1/4 cup of juice and set the juice aside.  Put the zest in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.  Add the sugar and process for 2 to 3 minutes, until the zest is very finely minced.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar and the lemon zest.  Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and the salt.  Mix until combined.

Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes.  The lemon curd will thicken at about 175 degrees, or just below a simmer.  Remove from the heat.

Store in the refrigerator.