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| Dessert 

Lemon curd is a custard-like dessert sauce made with eggs, lemon juice and zest, sugar, and butter.

This recipe will produce one full 12-ounce (330g) jar of lemon curd (similar to but not the same as lemon pie filling), plus a little left over so you can lick the bowl. Lemon curd keeps for up to a week in the refrigerator. It is excellent on short bread, biscuits, scones, and English muffins.

This dish goes well with scones, short breads, and muffins.

Equipment

• 1-quart saucepan
• whisk
• measuring cup
• grater or zester
• medium to large strainer of fine-to-medium mesh
• rubber spatula
• 1-quart kitchen bowl
• 12-ounce (about 330g) jar with sealable lid

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (120ml) lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup (80g) sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (60 ml)
• Pinch of salt (optional, to bring out sweetness and flavor of finished product)

Procedure

1. Grate the lemon rinds to produce two tablespoons of zest. Grate only the yellow zest, avoid the inner white pith which is bitter.
2. Extract the juice from the lemons to produce 1/2 cup (120ml) of juice.
3. Cut the butter into small chunks.
4. Put eggs, zest, sugar, and salt into cooled sauce pan.
5. Whisk ingredients in pan till frothy and light in color (a minute or two).
6. Add lemon juice and whisk 30 seconds.
7. Add butter chunks.
8. Set pan on stove burner, turn on heat to medium-to-low, and start whisking contents so they don't coagulate or stick to bottom of pan.
9. Whisk constantly till butter melts and mixture thickens, then whisk another two minutes, but do not let mixture boil - it should be quite steamy (185°F, 85°C).
10. Optional: Remove zest with the strainer over a mixing bowl and pouring the mixture through. Then work the mixture through the strainer with the spatula to strain out the zest and any egg lumps; rake mixture off bottom of strainer into bowl.
11. Pour mixture from bowl into jar to within 1/4 inch (0.75cm) from top, taking care not to get mixture on rim, then seal jar with lid.
12. Refrigerate to thicken the product further.