What is lemon curd? Lemon curd makes a tangy, sweet, and smooth concoction to use in toppings and fillings in almost anything you can dream of.
One wonders what Little Miss Muffet, sitting on her tuffet, would’ve thought of when tasting some delicious lemon curd instead of her flavorless curds and whey. Perhaps she wouldn’t have noticed that spider that sat down beside her; she’d been too busy spreading the luscious lemony spread on a scone.
What is Lemon Curd?
Miss Muffet’s bowl contained two simple parts of the cheesemaking process. Curds are a byproduct of coagulating milk, a process known as curding. Coagulation happens when an acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar, is added to dairy products. The increase in acidity causes the milk to mix into solid masses. This process will also happen if milk is left out to sour.
After the curds form, they’re pressed and drained. The leftover liquid is called whey. It contains whey protein and lactose (milk sugar). Cheesemaking companies don’t waste the whey; they use it to make protein-enriched products such as powder and energy bars. Farmers use it to feed their livestock, fertilize their crops, and battle powdery mildew in wet climates. Home cooks can use it as a substitute for water or milk in baking recipes and as a compost tea for house and garden plants.
Cottage cheese, a favorite dish served with fruits, is soft, unripened cheese consisting of various-sized curds. It’s white and mild with a faintly sour taste. When making cottage cheese, the whey is drained but not pressed from the curds, leaving a certain amount of liquid. In this form, it’s a low-fat food. If cream is added and the product contains 4% or more fat, it gets sold as creamed cottage cheese.
Lemon curd found its way into England’s kitchens in the early 1800s. Originally, it was made with lemons and cream that separated into “curds” that were strained through cheesecloth and pressed into jars.
It was called “Lemon Cheese” at the time.
One of the first references dates back to 1844 in the Lady’s Own Cookery Book, written by Lady Charlotte Campbell Bury, an English novelist. Her recipe called for rasping lemon skins with sugar to extract the zest and aromatic oils. It was a bit of a procedure, as granulated sugar hadn’t been invented yet, so cooks used a “sugar loaf,” a solid, long, tapering block kept in the pantry. They would simply break off a piece of the sugar loaf, rubbing it with the lemons. The friction between the lemons and sugar loaf created a mixture that absorbed the tart citrus flavor and color. How handy it was, years later, when lemon zesters and granulated sugar were invented.
Lemon Curd Uses
Today, this tangy, sweet, and smooth concoction has many uses. Lemon curd is delicious on scones, toast, and as a topping on pancakes, waffles, and French toast. It’s also a treat on cheesecake and ice cream and as a filling for tarts, cakes, crêpes, pavlova, and sandwich cookies.
Lemon curd can be swirled into yogurt, fruit smoothies, or the batter of breakfast buns, pastries, pies, and classic lemon bars. It can turn an ordinary bread pudding into a stunning dish for breakfast or dessert and folded into whipped cream to top berries and other fruits, cream puffs, doughnuts, and trifles.
and meringue in coupe glasses.
Bartenders serve refreshing martinis and gimlet cocktails made with lemon curd, while others mix it into salad vinaigrettes and slather it on before baking chicken and rosemary entrées. Sweet or savory, lemon curd brings a fresh and appealing taste to many recipes.
Grocery stores and online companies carry a variety of lemon curd to purchase, but it’s also easy to make. The recipe calls for just five ingredients, with an optional addition of salt. As always, different cooks may change the quantity of certain items, so it’s best to review a variety of recipes and experiment in the kitchen, coming up with a favorite recipe.
Here’s a sample recipe to try.
Easy Lemon Curd Recipe
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest — approximately one large lemon
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2 to 3 lemons) Do not use store-bought bottled lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt — optional
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter sliced in pats — softened at room temperature
A note about cooking: Use a double boiler pan or simply place a heatproof glass bowl on top of a saucepan.
Some recipes call for mixing the butter and lemon zest together first, while others suggest mixing all the ingredients except the butter first, then adding the butter. That’s why researching and trying out recipes is helpful.
A note about eggs: Recipes call for 4 to 6 eggs. Using egg whites produces a lighter curd consistency while using egg yolks produces an eggier, denser curd. Some recipes call for using the whole egg. It’s a personal preference that usually results from trying a recipe differently.
Back to this recipe:
- Place egg yolks, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt in a double-boiler or glass bowl on top of a saucepan on low to medium heat.
- Use a silicone whisk until completely blended, then continue to whisk until the mixture cooks. Constant whisking prevents the egg yolks from curdling. Continue whisking until the mixture becomes thick, approximately 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Whisk the butter into the curd. It will melt from the heat of the curd as it’s whisked. Pour the mixture in a jar or bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap on top to prevent a skin from forming. The curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Once cooled, remove the plastic wrap, and refrigerate. It will last for ten days, but usually is served up before the jar is empty.
Yield: 1 to 1-1/2 cups. The recipe can be doubled.
Some recipes suggest straining the curd before it cools to remove the lemon zest for a silkier texture. It’s again a personal choice.
Some people wonder what the difference is between lemon curd and lemon pudding and pie filling. Custards and puddings rely on cornstarch, milk, and cream, while eggs are the primary thickener for curd, making it lighter and creamier.
Curd works best when there’s some sharpness to counter the sweetness. Regarding curd, lemons aren’t the only fruit to use. Oranges, tangerines, limes, and grapefruit are a tasty idea. Mangos and berries can also be used, adding freshly squeezed lemon juice to the recipe.
Like a summer day, lemon curd can brighten any occasion. It brings sunshine to your table and rave reviews from family and guests asking for more!
Cappy Tosetti lives in Asheville, North Carolina with her three rescue dogs that help her with Happy with Cappy Pet Sitting. She’s putting things in motion to someday crisscross the country in a vintage travel trailer visiting draft horse and goat farms. [email protected]
Published in the June/July 2024 issue of Backyard Poultry magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.