lemon curd

You know how we make strong memories and associations between experiences and our senses? Like, when you smell a certain perfume, it will remind you of a certain person or special occasion? Well, for me, lemon curd is synonymous with my Grandad. I remember eating his home made lemon curd for breakfast, and wondering how it was possible to make something so beautifully sweet and smooth from a fruit that had a waxy exterior and a bitter interior. His lemon curd was beautiful, and I know that I am not the only one to remember with fondness the lemon curd he used to make.

So, when I found myself with 6 spare egg yolks needing to find a home after making chocolate pavlova, I didn't need to think twice about what I would use them for. It had to be lemon curd. Every time, this is the recipe that wins out over making fresh custard or protein heavy omelette, with the leftover yolks.

I like to think of lemon curd as sunshine & summer wrapped up in a jar. The sweetness & citrus sing of summer to me, and the song tastes beautiful. 

ingredients (makes 2 jars / approx. 500 ml)
250ml / 1 cup freshly squeezed lemons (I used 6 lemons, but I don't have a good lemon juicer)
250g / 1 cup caster (or granulated) sugar
4 eggs
4 yolks
170g / 12 tbsp unsalted butter
2 clean, sterilised glass jars

method
1) Place all of the ingredients into a medium sized sauce pan, and heat over a low temperature, stirring continually with a rubber spatula to prevent the curd sticking to the bottom of the pan.
2) The curd is ready when it is the consistency of fudge, and leaves a trail when you drizzle some off the back of the spatula - you don't want it to reach boiling point.
3) Remove the pan from the heat and pour the curd through a fine metal sieve into a bowl to strain out any little bits of egg that have become scrambled in the heating process.
4) Decant the curd into your sterilised jars and enjoy immediately on some fresh buttered toast.