Fruit: Curd: Meyer Lemon

Lemon curd is a tart cooked cream traditionally served with scones. This distinctly tart preparation distinguishes curd from other creamy fruit confections, like custard. The batch you see here was made of Meyer and Eureka lemons. For a step by step recipe you might try this one by Alton Brown.


My wife has an outsized lemon curd habit. Her recipe doubles the amount of lemon matter (juice and zest) that you find in "High Tea" friendly versions. If you want to —eh hem— take it up a notch, try these amounts:

• 3 Eggs
• 6 Oz. of butter
• 1/2 a cup of sugar
• A Pint Glass of lemon juice

Given that curd is essentially egg, butter, and sugar, and that a batch yields several jars worth of the stuff, we wind up gifting a fair amount of it to friends. As food gifts go, it is a relatively safe bet and keeps in the fridge for weeks.

We gave a few jars to people whose stands we frequent at the Farmer's Market two weeks back; when they asked how they should eat it, A. replied,"With a spoon." Doug Stonebreaker of Prather Ranch reported back that he ate his over vanilla gelato.

You can also try it on english muffins, between cookies, and as a tart filling.