Smooth and tangy lemon curd with just the right amount of sweetness. Use as a filling for tarts or cakes – or simply eat by the spoonful.
To prepare your mise en place, first wash the lemons. Remove the zest from 4 lemons and set aside.
Juice the lemons to equal 180 ml (3/4 cup or 12 tbsp).
Measure the sugar and butter and gather the eggs.
Place the lemon juice, lemon zest and butter into a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat. Don’t let the juice reduce or evaporate as you will alter the proper ratio.
While the juice mixture is heating, place the eggs into a large bowl. Whisk in the sugar just until smooth.
Once the liquid mixture comes to a boil, temper the eggs. Slowly add the hot liquid to the egg mixture, a bit at a time, while constantly whisking. Once everything is combined, pour the mixture back into the pot.
Over medium heat, SLOWLY bring the mixture up to a boil. This will take at least 5 or 6 minutes (or more), so be patient. Stir continuously and scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent the mixture from cooking unevenly and curdling.
Once the curd has come to a gentle boil, immediately remove it from the heat.
Immediately strain the lemon curd into a stainless-steel bowl.
Once strained, place the lemon curd over an ice bath to cool. Stir occasionally.
Once cool, transfer to the refrigerator. The curd can now be used in a variety of desserts and will keep for about 1 week in the refrigerator.
This lemon curd will set nicely when properly chilled; however, it is not very stiff. If filling one large tart, it will likely slide a bit once sliced; therefore, it is best for individual tarts. Once placed into a tart shell or cake, chill for at least 6 to 8 hours.