When life gives you lemons – microwave lemon curd recipe
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Our lemon tree is prolific. No, seriously. It drops at least one lemon a day. So much so, we have given hundreds away in the six months we’ve lived here. Lemon season has supposedly ended, and we still have tons of lemons we harvest every weekend. Plus, our tree is so fragrant with flowers, we know there will be more and more… and more to come.
It’s almost a burden. But coming from the frigid upstate New York area, good citrus of any type was more of a luxury. I can’t let something like that go to waste!
Besides always having a couple of lemons on hand for Matt’s G&Ts, and cooking, I have a few recipes I often use to use mass quantities. Sure, I can make lemonade. (Actually, that’s my girls’ job.) I can freeze the lemon juice in cubes for later use. But with so many lemons, I don’t need to freeze them.
I make limoncello, which is great for sitting on the patio, or as gifts. I make persevered lemons, which is a much better use than freezing lemon juice, and is also a great gift. (I promise, a recipe for this will be coming soon.) And I make lemon curd, which can be frozen or given as gifts as well!
The double whammy!
I often make limoncello, which only uses the lemon zest, then use the juice to make the curd. So a two-for-one combo.
Lemon curd is originally English in origin dating back to the early 1800’s. Unlike what we know today, the recipe was literal: lemon lemon acidulating (curdling slightly) cream to form curds then separated from the whey through a cheesecloth. Today’s curd is more a pudding with a velvety texture, rather than clumps of lemony cream.
All lemon curd recipe has four basic ingredients: lemon juice, sugar, butter and eggs. Often people use a double boiler to make this. I don’t even have a double boiler! So I use my microwave.
In less time than actually juicing the lemons, I have a delicious, smooth lemon goody to use any way I like. (More on that later in the post.)
I used my already peeled lemons from limoncello, but you can use fresh lemons and juice them with the peel on. (Or better yet, zest the lemons and hold on to that zest for this recipe. Then juice them.) If you don’t have fresh lemons, you can always use bottled lemon juice.
First, melt the butter in a small microwave safe bowl, then let cool a bit as you work on the other ingredients.
Whisk the sugar, 3 whole eggs, and one egg yolk in a medium-sized microwave safe bowl. (Discard the extra white, or freeze it to make meringues at a later time, which pair perfectly with this curd, by the way.) Whisk in the lemon juice, and the zest of the lemons, if you have it, to the sugar/egg mixture. Then, finally whisk in the melted, cooled slightly butter. Save the whisk. You are still going to need it while it’s cooking.
Then cook the mixture in the microwave: first, for one minute and 30 seconds at 50% power, then whisk. From this point, cook it for one minute at full-power, then whisk. Continue cooking on high power at one minute intervals, whisking in between until the curd gets thick and coats the back of a spoon. (Think soft-set pudding.) It will thicken more as it cools. Place in container and store in refrigerator or freezer up to one year. (It lasts in the fridge for about six months.)
Microwave Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 3 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1-1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest (OPTIONAL)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small microwave safe bowl in the microwave. Let cool slightly.
- Whisk the sugar, eggs and egg yolk together in a medium sized microwave bowl.
- Whisk in the lemon juice and optional lemon zest to the sugar and egg mixture.
- Whisk in the melted butter.
- Put bowl with mixture in microwave. Cook on 50% power for 90 seconds.
- Whisk mixture. Microwave on high for 1 minute.
- Keep repeating the last step until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
- Put in container and refrigerate. It will thicken more as it cools.
Notes
So how do you use lemon curd?
Of course, it’s a classic on scones, or even toast. But there are several ways we use it in our home:
- Add to plain yogurt for a tangy-sweet flavor. (I make my own yogurt, with some vanilla flavoring. The combination with the lemon curd is heavenly.)
- Top on meringues for a tasty pavlova.
- Make a layered parfait, with the curd, berries, granola and whipped cream.
- Top on pancakes, waffles or french toast.
- Skip the frosting and add between layers of a cake. Then sprinkle the cake with confectionery sugar.
- Fill in pre-baked mini puff pastry or filo tarts and top with whipped cream.
Or you can just eat it with a spoon. Whatever works, right?!?
