Thursday, June 10, 2010

Lemon Curd Tart

One of the cheapest citrus fruit we can get our hands on in this part of the world other than oranges, would be lemons. There is something about lemons that makes the best addition to baking and cooking. It is so versatile and whoever first added it to desserts must have been a genius.

I'm not sure how I ended up with half a dozen lemons. And I probably kept putting off using them or forgetting what I had wanted them for in the first instance. Anyway rather than watching them go bad in the fridge, I decided to make some lemon curd. If you have never made lemon curd before, you would never believe how easy it is to whip up some. Imagine a bottle of this stuff sells just under SGD7.00 in Singapore. Wow, that could buy me a whole lot of lemons and churn up a few cups of lemon curd as well.

So there I was one evening, with a batch of lemon curd sitting in the fridge and thinking of what I could pair it with. I've done lemon shortbread before as well as adding the curd to a frosting for a lemon cake. How about keeping it simple and adding the curd to an empty baked Tart Shell . Now that would make it a lemon curd tart wouldn't it?

lemon curd 2


Lemon Curd
Recipe Adapted from Joy of Baking
(Makes 1 1/2 cups)


Ingredients:

3 large eggs
80 ml fresh lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)
1 Tbsp finely shredded lemon zest
140g granulated white sugar
56g unsalted butter, at room temperature

Method:

1) In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended.

2) Stir constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture becomes thick (it should resemble sour cream or hollandaise sauce). This will take approximately 10 minutes.

3) Remove from heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps.

4) Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted. Add the lemon zest and let cool. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools.

5) Use a clingwrap film to press against the top of the curd to prevent it from forming a skin. Cool and refrigerate. This can keep for about 2 weeks.

* If you want a lighter lemon curd whip 1/2 cup (120 ml) of heavy whipping cream and fold into the lemon curd.

** Room temperature lemons provide more juice. After squeezing, strain the juice to remove any pulp. Zest is the yellow, sweet-flavored outer rind of the lemon. A zester or fine grater can be used to remove the rind. Cold lemons are much easier to grate. Grate lemons just before using as the zest will lose moisture if it sits too long.


lemon curd 1


lemon curd 3

14 comments:

  1. I can't resist lemons and I will always get a bag or two each time I go to the produce place. I love baking with lemon and in fact I just bake one yesterday.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree with cook4fun. I cannot resist lemons either. And a good lemon tart- perfect for summer!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like quite an easy curd to make. What is the consistency of this compared to custard?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Have you tried with Meyer lemon??? They taste so much better and you use less sugar to mask the tartness of the usual lemon.

    Tigerfish,just to share with you, you need to cook it till quite thick. I've made lemon curd tart so many times and in my opinion, if you cook it till pouring custard consistency, you'll never get a neat slice when you cut. So, cook until it is very very thick but not scrambled!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wah! The thought of lemon curd makes me salivate!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This lemon curd is definitely a keeper! So smooth!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looks very smooth and delicious. I love lemon. I would love to try this one. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've never tried lemon curd, looks like sour custard!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love anything curd..lol! Love your lemon curt tart! the only reason i'm not eating it daily is the amount of yolks it requires. :D

    ReplyDelete
  10. I couldn't agree more! Making lemon curd is so simple. Love the bowl you have for yours! :D

    ReplyDelete
  11. This looks so delicious! The presentation is absolutely beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your lemon curd looks delicious! I ate mine mostly with toasted bread, to enjoy the original flavour of the curd!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey, I used the same lemon curd recipe too! It's good! I love the sunny bright color it gives!

    In fact, I've been using lemons in my bakes and dishes over these 2 weeks. Haha! Can't resist that lemony tang!

    ReplyDelete