After school we washed our hands, donned pinnies and got to work in the kitchen.  It’s a simple recipe and there are lots of parts that a small person can help with (cutting butter, squeezing the juice, stirring & holding the sieve).

We have friends who have access to lemon, orange and grapefruit trees.  A real treat to come home laden with bags.  The first year we were here, there was a glut of lemons and I squeezed, sliced and cooked.  This year there were only a few, so I didn’t make any lemon curd.

I was chatting to my old neighbour on the phone a few weeks ago and she commented on finding my recipe whilst looking out recipes for thanksgiving and it reminded me that there wasn’t much left, so I bought some lemons.

In the year of the glut I searched and compared recipes and as lemon curd doesn’t keep for an extended amount of time I discovered that you can freeze it.  I also found plastic 8oz pots which are designed to be freezer jars.  So you can happily make a batch and keep it all for yourself, should you wish!  It is also an ideal gift as it doesn’t take that long to make and now my stash has been topped up, I shall make another batch to share with friends.

So, what you need, other than lemons….

Four ingredients: lemons, eggs, butter and sugar.

• 4 medium sized lemons (ripe & juicy) – the zest and the juice
• 4oz of butter (one stick) – chopped up into small pieces
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 12oz of sugar (here the granulated is the size of caster sugar which is what you need so it dissolves easily)

everything goes into the bowl

sit the bowl over a pan of simmering water & stir

keep the mixture moving gently

once the sugar & butter have dissolved, keep cooking for approx 20 mins more

Everything goes into the bowl, which is placed over a pan of simmering water.  You need to gently stir until the butter and sugar have dissolved.  The butter you can see disappear and the sugar becomes quieter as it will sound quite grainy as you stir to start off with.  Once you have got to this point, you keep cooking for another 20 minutes or so, until you can see the mixture thicken.  It should stick and coat the back of the spoon.

Then the bit that makes all the difference is that you strain it.  Pour the whole lot through a fine meshed sieve prior to putting into your clean jars.  This takes out the bits of zest and any sneaky lumpy bits which you probably won’t see until you strain it.

Each batch is a little different, but I usually fill three jars.  Store in the fridge or put into the freezer once cold.

Lemon curd isn’t that common here, so I have had to explain what you can eat it with to local friends.  It works pretty well on a toasted English muffin – but if you need a real hit, just stand in the fridge doorway with the jar and a spoon!