Lemon Curd

Periodically I’d come home from school to the house saturated with the smell of lemons, and upon entering the kitchen I’d gleefully see two little pots of steaming lemon curd cooling on the window sill.

Alongside the pots, in a plastic wallet, would be a tattered old Domestic Science exercise book open on the page containing a handwritten recipe for lemon curd, complete with lashings of red pen correcting spelling and grammar and a 7/10 over the page in the bottom corner. Lemon curd was my Mum’s domain since she was 14 years old and as a result it’s not been something I’ve ever attempted myself, bowing to her superior skills. However, my Dad’s been pestering me to make a Lemon Cake, and I couldn’t bear the thought of using shop-bought lemon curd so dug out my Mum’s old school book and attempted to make it myself. It’s a tried and tested recipe, simple but effective, and it pulls me straight back to my (and my Mum’s!) childhood.

Ingredients:
8oz granulated sugar
4oz margarine
2 lemons – juice and rind
2 eggs, beaten
2 lb jars

Method:
Firstly, you will need to prepare the jars: just fill them with boiling water and leave to one side while you make the lemon curd.

Put the sugar and margarine in a bowl and place over a saucepan containing water. Heat the saucepan and stir occasionally. Add the lemon rind to the sugar-margarine mixture, stirring constantly, and then pour in the lemon juice (removing all pips beforehand).

Turn down the heat slightly, add the eggs to the mixture and continue to stir until the sugar is fully dissolved and the eggs are evenly dispersed.

Once it is fully blended together turn the heat up again and stir for another 20-30 minutes until the lemon curd thickens.

Remove the water from the jars and dry them off. Pour the lemon curd into the jars and put on one side to cool. Whilst cooling, cut out a circle of baking parchment (use the jar lid as a stencil), place in the jar, replace the lid et voila; lemon curd!

Lemon curd makes a lovely gift – something a bit different and a lot more personal than a box of chocolates!

Right, what’s next? Jam? Marmalade? Throw your ideas at me and I’ll give it a go!