Recipe of the Week
The most delicious thing to do with a glut of lemons is make lemon curd, otherwise known as lemon cheese. I have no idea where the curd and cheese reference comes from, because there is little dairy in this recipe and the finished result is a lovely velvety cream – nothing like curd or cheese.
Lemon curd was traditionally served with bread or scones for afternoon tea as an alternative to jam, or used as a filling for cakes and tarts. And it’s essential for a lemon meringue pie.
I like to use lemon curd on raisin toast with ricotta cheese, or you can make a simple tart by spreading it over some shortcrust pastry.
To get the most juice out of a lemon, pour boiling water over the skin five minutes before squeezing.
Try to use local, fresh lemons rather than ones that have been waxed prior to export from countries such as the US. You don’t want wax in this recipe.
There’s still some passionfruit around, so if you can find some, add the pulp of three passionfruit into the curd when it’s cooked for a delicious taste.
Lemon Curd
250g sugar
60g butter
Zest and juice of two lemons
2 eggs
1. Put the sugar, butter, zest and juice into a double boiler. If you don’t have one, then sit a bowl on top of saucepan in which you have water boiling. Don’t let the base touch the water.
1. Turn the element down to low and stir the mixture until the sugar has melted. Don’t rush this step.
2. Beat the eggs and stir them in slowly and gently. Turn up the heat and cook the mixture until it thickens. You can then remove it from the heat and store it in a clean jar. This will keep for two to three weeks in the fridge.
