LEMON CURD- A DELIGHTFULL,INTENSELY FLAVOURED BRITISH SPREAD

 Creamy in texture & color,rich & zingy in taste, gets around as a topping /accompaniment for lots,yes its the so versatile zingy lemony 'lemon curd'It was the begining of feb, i still remember.It was hardly over a month that i had an oven now(after a seemingly longbreak) & a little under a month that the little corner had more visits coming its way,than our neighbouring doc with all my trays of cakes & more cakes.Almost a month into cakelings that wanted to dig something "different"...

As was leafing thru the baking book i had,the lone one the other being chocolate.I dont have a big collection of cookery books but would love to start soon with cookie craft maybe or a martha or nigella, i chanced upon the lemon bars ,little knowing that this would lead me to an exciting discovery that this was what i loved so much but didn know them by their famous ,insatntly recognible name,as in lemon curd or how easy to put by it was.Oh i've been eating tiny lemony tarts all my like,but i didn know the well piped in filling in the buttery crust is 'lemon curd' or called that. When i begin on the lemon bars i didn know what to expect but thru the journey my excitement was building up like a 7th sense kinda....

Today again as i prepare to stir in a pot of lemon curd that i know so well,i'm still excited...still big on this & have been champing on this bit,as brite eyed & bushy tailed as an eager beaver......I did already bake a lemon tart too but hadn made the curd i so often craved for yet...its so simple & quick,i now ask my self why.

Ok this is also for the next recipe am posting to combine with.
Read around place ,saw a couple of methods &zero'd in on rachel allen's zingy lemon curd ..oh there are different recipes online but i liked this one best but have bookmarked a few others to be tried on soon & wanna see what confectioners sugar too will do to this intensely flavoured spread,thicken it a little differently i guess.

I did tweek it a wee bit coz i didn wanna end up with scrambled egg & also my mind was flooded with a couple of different
methods galore...&combined  to this my combi method which i use for custard,gas top(double boiler here)+a min or 2 on high of microwaving has given me excellent
results & i played with this here tooI whisked real good ,i have no idea if am right,but thought that this would result in smoothness personified....

Well it sits in the fridge & is as delicious as a great lemon curd &i'm already (mentally) working on how best i can introduce lemon curd in many a goody treat.

LIST OF WHAT YA NEEDS OK...


~~~50 Grams + 25 grams butter
~~~150 Grams(around 3/4 cup)sugar

~~~4 smallish lemons,zest & juice(u could add more for a depth in intenstity of the zingy flav)

~~~2 whole eggs + 1 egg yolk






LETS GET GOING-

~~~ Place glass bowl with the 50 grams butter & sugar(reduce sugar if u dont like it too sweet but its supposed to be sweet) on a pan of just simmering water or a double boiler.
~~~cube remaining 25 grams into nice little blobs& keep aside.
~~~As soon as butter begins to melt ,switch off the flame & add zest & lemon juice & fold in well
[in the above pic,from top  left, clockwise, u see the butter & sugar melting. Next zest & lime juice added & blended in]

~~~now whisk the eggs while the butter cools a bit & add well whisked eggs to butter &whisk,blend ,whisk.

~~~On the flame ,over the pot of simmering h2o again & keeping whisking lightly & then stiring with a spoon.
~~~Continue on a medium flame(arnd 14 mins) as curds begins to thicken beautifully,add a blob or 2 of the cut up butter(from the 25 grams but if u wan it really buttery add some more,but unsalted)

~~~Now switch of the flame & take off the glass bowl(carefully,u might wanna use ur mittens here coz its going to be pretty hot) & microwave on high for a min,stir.Add another blob.
~~~Another 30 secs if not thick enough & all the remaining blobs of butter.Good stir
~~~cling bowl with cling film,cool a little & refrigerate for the creamiest smooth lemon curd when u get back.

DID U KNOW
~~~In the late 19th & early 20th century ,lemon curd was served ,traditionally with bread &scones as a welcome alternative to jam as also as a filling for pies,cakes & tarts & very much continues so..& scones =u.k. so did the preciously delightfull lemon curd originate in the u.k.?
ok just read in that it was in the 19th & early 20th century of england that this delightfull spread originated

i had made some to smear on some tea time goodies but the jar was swiped clean way before that. Lemon curd keeps thickening as it cools.