To make the most of our egg glut now that our hens are laying again, I like to make lemon curd. I rarely make it at any other time of year so these little jars of Spring sunshine are a delicious way to preserve the egg harvest, for a few weeks at least.
I prefer to follow a recipe that uses whole eggs rather than just the yolks even though it makes it a little more tricky to achieve a perfectly smooth curd. My favourite is this Delia Smith recipe. You will need some sterilised jars for this, about 3 x 350 ml ones.
First, I grate the zest of 4 lemons and juice them and cut 225 g of unsalted butter into small cubes. Then, I whisk 4 whole large eggs, pour them into a saucepan and add the cubed butter, lemon zest and juice, 1 tablespoon of cornflour (sieved to get rid of any lumps) and 350 g of caster sugar.
I whisk it all over a medium heat on the stove until the mixture thickens well. This can take a good 10 minutes (sometimes more, I go by feel and look rather than time) and requires constant whisking to ensure the egg whites do not "cook" and separate into grainy lumps. This is the tricky bit that can spoil the curd should the cook gets distracted!!
When the curd has achieved a thick consistency, I turn the heat right down and let it simmer for a few more minutes, stirring continuously, before pouring it into the hot, sterilised jars.
I prefer to use smaller jars as shelf life is not very long (a few weeks) and it is best consumed within a week after the jar has been opened. I keep the unopened jars in a cold place in our unheated kitchen or in the fridge if we light fires every day and the kitchen gets quite warm.
I love it spread on toast, on fresh sourdough bread or crumpets. I also use it in cakes and pavlovas. How will you enjoy yours?