The Fantastic Lemons of January

I am so glad that I planted a Myer lemon shrub years in the past. For just a few years it lived in a big pot and did OK, however as soon as I discovered a spot for it in a heat spot close to the barn it thrived. This yr it most likely has produced 60 or 70 lemons, a lot of them fairly massive. Final yr there have been just a few, so subsequent yr may not be as productive…we’ll see.

Wanting again at posts from January through the years I see that this month is the one the place I exploit lemons probably the most. One among my favourite treats that use contemporary lemons is lemon curd, the comfortable and creamy type of lemon jam that’s good on a scone or English muffin for a tea celebration. I made a batch this previous week and realized that you may want the recipe if you need to make some your self. Retailer purchased lemon curd is OK, however the curd you make your self is worlds higher! You may as well make curd with some other sort of citrus…lime, orange, blood orange, grapefruit…and even with pomegranate juice as I did HERE. Plenty of selections, a number of enjoyable.

The completed curd, put into sterilized jars, retains as much as three months within the fridge…if it lasts that lengthy.

Zesty Lemon Curd Yields 3 Cups
Shops as much as 3 months in fridge

3-4 aromatic, bright-skinned lemons
1/2 Cup (1 stick) plus 2 Tablespoons butter, lower up
Pinch of salt
4 egg yolks
1 complete egg
1 1/4 Cups sugar

1) Run 2 inches of water into the bottom pan of a double boiler and set over medium warmth to come back to a brisk simmer.
2) Grate or shred sufficient lemon zest from washed & dried lemons to make 1 1/2 tablespoons, packed, lemon zest. Place the zest within the high pan of the double boiler. Juice the lemons and pressure juice to make 1/2 Cup; add to the zest. Add the lower up butter & salt to the pan. Put aside.
3) Beat the egg yolks and complete egg collectively at excessive pace within the massive bowl of an electrical mixer till they’re foamy; progressively add the sugar, persevering with to beat the combination till it’s pale, fluffy, & very thick, about 5 minutes.
4) Scrape the egg combination into the double-boiler high and set the highest into the bottom containing simmering water. Directly start whisking the combination; cook dinner it, whisking consistently, till it has thickened easily and is steaming sizzling, about quarter-hour. Watch out to not overcook the curd; it’s completed when it’ll coat a steel or wood spoon closely. Take away the higher pan from the recent water.
5) Pour the curd right into a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and press it by means of with a rubber spatula, leaving the shreds of zest behind (discard shreds). (It’s o.okay. to go away the zest within the curd, however the texture is totally different.) Scrape the curd into sterilized jars. Let it cool uncovered. Cap jars of cooled curd with sterilized lids. Refrigerate the curd.

Observe: This may be made with lime zest & juice. Use 1 Tablespoon lime zest and 1/2 Cup lime juice and observe the recipe the identical means for every little thing else.