The instructions for this Lemon Curd have been adapted from a recipe, which is nearly 200 years old! It makes no apology for using lots of real butter, sugar, eggs and lemons. These were ingredients available to our ancestors. The eggs would have come from the family hens and the butter would probably have been home-made too. Only the sugar and lemons had to be bought in. They were expensive imports!
So, if you are on a special kind of low-fat, sugar-free diet, or are vegan, then this recipe is not for you!
You will need:-
1 pound of granulated sugar (the original recipe used Loaf sugar); that’s 454 grams.
½ pound of unsalted butter; that’s 227 grams.
The peel and juice of 4 lemons;
4 eggs.
Note: some old recipes do not include the lemon rind, or only put in the rind of 2 lemons but the juice of all 4 lemons. If you want a really strong taste of lemon, you can use the juice from 6 lemons but remember to add the same number of eggs as lemons: so 6 lemons and 6 eggs, although the quantity of butter and sugar remains the same.
You will need a bain-marie double-saucepan. If you don’t have one, then you could improvise using a fire-proof bowl sitting on top of a saucepan of boiling water. Be careful not to scald yourself!
You will also need to sterilise 3 or 4 x one pound jam jars with lids, or about 6 small jars.
Our ancestors were using wood-burning ranges. So the original instructions said to keep your pan of boiling water on the side of the stove, allowing the ingredients in the upper bowl to slowly melt. It is vitally important NOT to boil the ingredients! Nor should you go off and leave the pan, while you do something else!
Start by bringing the water to the boil in the lower part of the saucepan. Then put the butter into the upper part of the bain-marie (or fire-proof bowl) and allow it to slowly melt but not boil or burn. Next, add the sugar and stir well until it has dissolved. After that, add the grated lemon rind and lemon juice and stir everything together thoroughly.
Take the pan off the heat and allow the mixture of butter, sugar and lemons to cool down but not to go completely cold. Put your sterilised jam-jars to heat gently in the oven.
Meanwhile, beat your eggs in a separate bowl. Some recipes say to use 4 yolks and only 2 whites; or 4 whole eggs and the yokes of 2 additional eggs! However, I have always had good results from using 4 whole eggs, beating the yolks and whites together in the separate bowl.
You may have guessed why you need to let the butter, sugar and lemon mixture cool down! It is so that the eggs will not curdle when you add them in! I use a whisk when pouring the beaten eggs into the mixture in the bain-marie. Then I return the pan to the heat. As I re-heat the mixture, I keep using the whisk until the mixture starts to look like honey. At that point, I switch to using a wooden spoon instead of the whisk and I keep stirring as the mixture slowly cooks.
It is important not to take your eyes off the mixture, once the eggs have been added. Making Lemon Curd requires the same care and patience as making a custard or white sauce!
Keep stirring until the mixture has reached a thin custard-like consistency and the back of the wooden spoon has become lightly coated, so that if you run your fingernail along it, there will be a visible trail. This is a sign that you have cooked the Lemon Curd enough and that it will have a good “set”, being neither too runny nor too stiff!
Take the pan off the heat and get your jam-jars out of the oven. Pot hot! Put the metal lids on the jars straight away because the heat from the curd creates a natural seal. Allow the jars to cool completely before storing in the refrigerator. My Lemon Curd usually keeps several weeks in the fridge (unless eaten)!
You can spread Lemon Curd on bread, instead of jam. It also makes delicious tarts! If you have a cold and / or a sore throat, then eating a spoonful of Lemon Curd will relieve some of the symptoms! Enjoy!
Author: Veronica Smith first published 9th December 2024
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