2020 - April 25 - lemon curd on stove - lemon curd muffins

Saturday 25 April 2020

Still on the jam muffins, I thought … what about lemon curd instead of jam?  So I used my last bottled lemon juice to make 1 cup of curd …

Our microwave has had problems, so a few years ago we just didn't replace it.  I've made the lemon curd on the stove.  I've doubled the below recipe to make 1 cup of delicious curd!  You will NEVER EVER buy expensive (and not always available) curd in the shops again! 

Also a fabulous gift idea!!!

LEMON CURD – LIGHTER VERSION WITHOUT BUTTER
I don’t always like using butter in my recipes, so I was looking for a lemon curd recipe without … and found it! What an absolute pleasure.

This recipe will be a bit quicker in microwave, but works well on the stove.

Lighter Lemon Curd
(of course you can double ingredients for bigger quantities)

1/3 cup strained, fresh lemon juice (or bottled lemon juice)
1-2 tsp lemon zest
5 tbsp white sugar
1 large egg, room temperature

MICROWAVE
In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar (honey) and eggs until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest.
Cook in the microwave for one minute intervals, stirring after each minute until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. (Mine took 3 minutes). Makes ½ cup lemon curd. 

STOVE-TOP
In pan/pot on stove, add the lemon juice and zest. In mixing bowl, whisk sugar/honey and eggs till smooth. Add to the lemon juice mixture and on medium high, boil while STIRRING till the mixture thickens … I’ve then put it on high and while stirring continuously, waited for it to be nice and thick to coat the back of the spoon.
https://www.food.com/…/lighter-lemon-lime-curd-no-butter-26…

Now you've made the lemon curd, but don't know what else to use it for?  Don't despair!!


LEMON CURD – HOW TO USE IT
• Serve it in a little dish with a meringue kiss on top and a shortbread cookie stuck in the side. Call it "Deconstructed Lemon Meringue Pie." :)
• Spread on a crepe/pancake, roll up, powdered sugar on top.
• Serve on the side, with other favourite breakfast spreads, together with croissants, muffins, scones or waffles.
• Stir into cream cheese, place in the centre of a fruit tray to use as a dip.
• Use as a glaze - spread thinly on cakes.
• Fill pre-baked tartlet shells with lemon curd, top with green sugar sprinkles or a dusting of powdered sugar.
• Spread on thin cake rounds, top with sweetened whipped cream and berries in alternating layers for individual serving-sized parfaits or trifles.
• Sandwich together angel food cake or pound cake layers with lemon curd.
• Fill curd into a pre-baked piecrust, and top with whipped cream.
• Spoon onto ice-cream sundaes as a sauce; top with your favourite add-ons.
• Fill into individual serving-sized meringues, top with a garnish, and serve as dessert.
• Use as a pudding topping, then decorate with maraschino cherries.
• Use as a cheesecake topping, or swirl into cheesecake before baking, for a special effect.
• Stir berry preserves or a whole-berry sauce into individual servings of lemon curd in small dessert glasses for that perfect eye-catching dessert.
• Lemon curd is also divine on buttered toast.
• A dollop of lemon curd tastes delicious with a piece of gingerbread or a slice of pound cake.
• Pair it with a piece of thick Scottish shortbread.
• Macaroons, butter cookies, and nut wafers all taste great with lemon curd spread between them.
• Lemon curd freezes well

Tightly covered, lemon curd will last about a week in the refrigerator. It will last for months tightly covered in the freezer. It doesn't freeze solid, which means you can spoon out exactly what you need when you need it. You can also make curd from limes.

LEMON CURD MUFFINS

This is perfect for these jam muffins ...

Lemon curd coconut muffins

Makes 6 big ones

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup white sugar
1 large egg, beaten
½ cup milk + 2 tbsp

¼ cup veg oil + 2 tbsp

½ cup prepared lemon curd

Coconut for topping

Preheat oven to 205 oC.  Prepare 6 muffin pan.  In small bowl, beat the egg, milk, oil and lemon curd together.  In bigger bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Add the liquid ingredients and stir with fork.  Spoon into muffin pan, sprinkle coconut on top and bake for 25 minutes.  Remove, let cool in pan for 5 minutes.  Carefully remove the muffins, remove the foil and let cool on wire rack / plate. Note:  I’ve filled my muffin holes too much, so it didn’t make nice dome on top.

Recipe:  Alma Pretorius