We've had a good stash of beautiful Meyer lemons in the Piopio Community Fruit & Veg Stand these past few days, with thanks to friend Paula from Papakura as well as another local contributor. And since yesterday was a rainy day, I decided to deploy some to make some pots of lemon curd for the stand. Lemon curd is easy to make and can be used in yogurt, on ice cream, in cakes, icings, etc. And homemade curd is so much better than store bought. No comparison, really.
I use Annabel Langbein's recipe, which calls for 1 1/2 cups of caster sugar, 1 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, zest of one lemon, 220 grams of butter diced, and six eggs. Everything but the eggs are put in a heatproof bowl over a pot of boiling water (formally called a "bain marie") and heated until the butter is melted. Then the whisked eggs are poured in and the curd stirred with a wooden spoon over gentle heat until it has set. She says 3-5 minutes, I find it's closer to 13. It's whenever the curd coats the back of your spoon and stays separated when you run your finger through it. The curd is then strained to remove any egg white or lemon bits, poured into sterilised jars and sealed. It keeps for a month in the fridge.
After the curd I kept at it, making a few pots of blueberry jam for the stand from frozen Piopio Berry Orchard berries.
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