How to Make Lemon Curd
https://ift.tt/2IQ6KMA Lemon curd, like many great recipes, is made with only few key ingredients. How you incorporate those ingredients makes all the difference when it comes to taste and texture. I set out to make a lemon curd that would be tart and sturdy enough to layer between rounds of cake, but also sweet enough to eat on its own, one spoonful at a time, straight from the jar.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST LEMON CURDA good lemon curd has a glossy finish, holds together like pudding, feels smooth and creamy on the tongue, and has a nice balance of flavor between tart and sweet. After experimenting with variations of five different lemon curd recipes, I finally settled on my favorite. The result is the recipe below: a version adapted from the recipe I first learned while taking classes at my local culinary school. I used a ratio of 3 tablespoons of lemon juice per whole egg. This creates a curd with tart lemon flavor, but that’s still thick enough to use in other desserts (for instance, between layers of cake). I found that when I used less juice, the curd was still nice and thick, but it had an eggy flavor to it. When I used more juice per egg, it created a thinner curd that with the consistency of ketchup rather than firm pudding. The flavor was still great, but it wouldn’t work between cake rounds, or hold its shape in tarts (though if you want a curd that you could drizzle over something like ice cream, this would be perfect). I used just enough sugar to take the sour edge off the lemon, but not so much that this citrus beauty was overshadowed with saccharine flavor. I definitely wanted the lemon to be the star of the show. I also use a fair amount of butter in this recipe. I like the velvety mouthfeel that butter provides, so I use a lot. If you’d rather use less, play with the amount of butter to suit your liking and taste as you go. If you are happy with less, then by all means leave a couple of tablespoons out. WHEN TO ADD THE BUTTER TO LEMON CURDThe point in the recipe when you add butter has a real impact on the texture of the finished lemon curd. Two of the recipes I tested recommended adding butter off heat once the curd had completely thickened. Both of these versions had a slightly grainy texture that no one really enjoyed. In the versions where I added the butter while the curd was still on the heat (either all at once or bit by bit), the curd ended up smooth and velvety in texture.
WHY STRAIN YOUR LEMON CURDIt’s best to strain this lemon curd for three reasons:
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CURD WON’T THICKENRemove the curd from the stove when it’s the consistency of pourable pudding. If it’s thickened, but seems more like heavy cream or eggnog, then it needs a little more time. Keep whisking over heat and be patient until it thickens. (Remember: The curd will become thicker once it cools.) If you’ve cooked the curd well beyond the recommended time and it’s still thin like water, chances are your measurements were off and you added too much juice—or not enough egg. To thicken it, whisk an egg yolk in a small bowl. Use a ladle to scoop up a small amount of the warm, liquid curd and slowly drizzle it into the egg yolk while whisking constantly. Then pour this mixture back into the pan with the curd. Continue whisking for 5 minutes. If all else fails and your curd is still not thickening, add a cornstarch slurry. It will impact the color a bit and the texture might be a little grainy, but will still taste great. And if it still won’t thicken, then tell everyone you made a fantastic lemon glaze and pour it over vanilla ice cream or slices of cake.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CURD BREAKSYou shouldn’t see any bubbles from simmering or boiling while cooking your lemon curd. Creamy curds like this come together over low temps. If your curd is looks lumpy or curdled, remove it from the heat. Transfer it to a bowl and whisk vigorously until it smooths out again, then strain it to remove any lumps or any eggy bits. Transfer it back to the pan, lower the heat, and finish the recipe. If you’re having trouble with temperature, it might be your stove, so try cooking your curd over a double boiler instead. Fill a medium pot with a couple of inches of water and bring it to a simmer. Put a glass or nonreactive metal bowl, over the water and make sure the bottom doesn’t touch the water. Proceed with the recipe, but add an extra five minutes to the cooking time.
WAYS TO CUSTOMIZE THIS RECIPEMaking lemon curd—or any citrus curd—is pretty flexible as long as you keep a few general guidelines in mind.
In addition to lemon juice, you can make curd with grapefruit, lime, Meyer lemon, passionfruit, and orange juice. Simply substitute equal amounts of one juice for another. You can also experiment with using the juice from other fruits, like berries, as long as you add a few tablespoons of lemon juice. WAYS TO USE LEMON CURDAs a special after school snack for my children, I fold lemon curd into freshly whipped cream and spoon this on top of raspberries, strawberries or blueberries. It’s simple to do and takes very little time. You can also use it to fill a pre-baked tart crust, layer it in between cake rounds, spoon it into yogurt, add it to ice cream, make lemon thumbprint cookies, fill donuts or pastries, or spoon it on top of a pavlova. You get the idea! The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Here are a few ideas: STORING, FREEZING, OR PRESERVING YOUR LEMON CURDAccording to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, lemon curd will keep in an air tight container in your fridge for up to four weeks. The best way to keep it longer than that is to transfer the curd to freezer containers (leaving about 1/2-inch of room on the top), then freeze it. Thaw the curd in the fridge for 24 hours before you plan to use it. I tasted a batch of frozen (and thawed) curd alongside fresh curd, and I didn’t notice any difference in the texture between the two. You can also can the curd using the water bath canning method, but the shelf life is only 3 to 4 months, so my feeling is that you might as well freeze it. Also, the acidity in fresh lemons can vary, so the National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends replacing the fresh squeezed lemon juice with bottled juice if you plan to can it (which ensures an acidity level high that’s enough to ward off bacteria). Recipes via Simply Recipes https://ift.tt/2F9fkDA March 24, 2018 at 09:07AM
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The Flat Belly FixThis is the only 21-day rapid weight loss system that allows you to easily lose an average of 1 lb a day for 21 days without feeling hungry or deprived. The unique and brand new techniques used in this System are proven SAFE. And they do not cause the rebound weight gain common to all the other rapid weight loss systems that are not backed by the latest science. The Flat Belly Fix System takes advantage of a recent scientific discovery that proves the effective weight loss power of an ancient spice. Combined with other cutting-edge ingredients in the patent-pending Flat Belly Fix Tea™ — that you can make right in your own kitchen in minutes — this System is the quickest, easiest and most enjoyable way to quickly get the body you desire and deserve. Click HereCategories
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