25 Aug 2012

We say "chocolate", you say "citrus" - Lemon Curd Recipe

We, French people, have a thing for chocolate.
Chocolate mousse, chocolate tart, chocolate fondant, chocolat éclair, opéra and royal cakes, Nutella, chocolate truffles, marshmallow and chocolate bears ...the range of chocolate delicacies one can find in France is endless.
(...God I miss France sometimes)

We often have animated debates with my British friends about what we respectively put in the " decent chocolate" category (in which I don't include Cadbury, Thorntons or supermarket chocolate). Here in the UK, good quality baking chocolate is a luxury. You can find some, but it's really expensive.

Message in a bottle : if you are a supporter of Pauline à la crème anglaise or if you have tears in your eyes when reading about my lack of good cooking chocolate, you can send me a Nestlé Dessert Chocolate bar. You'll make me the happiest woman in the world!

On the other hand, British people have a passion for citrus fruits.
Orange marmelade (x 10 variations depending on how thick and how much peels you like in your marmelade), orange peels, mixed citrus peels, lemon drizzle cake, lemon boiled pudding with a whole lemon in it, lemon posset, self-saucing lemon pudding, lemon tart...and lemon curd. La Révélation.


Few months ago, I brought back to France some lemon curd for my dad (it doesn't really exist in France).
He liked it so much that he ate it all directly from the pot with a teaspoon.
So I knew what I had to do for his birthday last week.

Lemon Curd

Traditional product, traditional recipe. I went for a sure ride, I borrowed this recipe from Delia Smith.
Ingredients

grated zest and juice 4 large juicy lemons

4 large eggs

350 g golden caster sugar

225 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into dices
1 teaspoon of cornflour

Make the lemon curd:

1/ Lightly whisk the eggs in a medium-sized saucepan

2/ Add the rest of the ingredients and place the saucepan over a medium heat

3/ Whisk continuously until the mixture thickens for about 7-8 minutes. Next, lower the heat to its minimum setting and let the curd gently simmer for a further minute, continuing to whisk.

4/ Remove it from the heat, pour the lemon curd into the hot, sterilised jars, filling them as full as possible

5/ Cover straightaway with waxed discs, seal while it is still hot and label when it is cold.

It will keep for several weeks stored in a cool place





Thanks to the family Little Chefs for their hard work on zesting and juicing the lemons!

2 comments:

  1. Oh my! Just run out of homemade plum jam and feeling sad (no more plums left from my garden to make jam with). And then I find this! A recipe that's come to my rescue...

    Because I *LURVE* lemons :)

    I am off to the shops to get some lemons...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lucky timing Jane! I hope your lemon curd cooking session went well and that you are happy with the results?!
      :-)
      Pauline

      Delete

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