Lemon Curd... and a speedy pud!

In January and February, I seem to return from school most days to the smell of sugar and sevilles - it's marmalade time. But whilst my dad was busy making batch no. 3, I decided to buck the trend and use citrus and sugar in a different recipe - Lemon Curd. There's nothing particularly ground breaking about this recipe I'm afraid but, in my books, when it works a treat, why change it? 

What I love about lemon curd is that it's a great beginners recipe for preserves - it's much safer than jam or marmalade to make with children as the mix is cooked over a pan of simmering water, so the heat is less intense... and the inclusion of butter and eggs means that the mixture does not form a crazy, bubbling caramel mass (although it is still fairly hot, so don't be too care-free!). It's also really versatile once it's made, lemon meringue pie obviously comes to mind quickly, but it's also great as a substitute for jam in sponges, jammy dodgers or tarts. 

For a really speedy pud (as shown in the picture) I just crush up 1-2 digestives into the bottom of a glass, top with a small tablespoon of lemon curd and a large one of natural yoghurt... and a little grating of lemon zest if you want to make it a little fancy. Incredibly easy, wonderfully quick - and a great way to use up your lemon curd if you've over-catered (curd won't keep as long as jam once opened, I'd advise using it within a week or two). I'd recommend stacking these up at the last minute if you can, as the biscuit is best when it's still crunchy (unlike a cheesecake base, I didn't add melted butter, so the biscuits don't seem to hold up as well under the moisture of the curd).

Recipe from The Preserving Book by Pan Books (it's fairly old and I couldn't find it on amazon - hence the lack of hyperlink)

Ingredients (makes about 3/4 of a kg - I found that it made just over a jar):

140ml lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

Zest of 3 lemons

3 medium eggs

100g unsalted butter

250g caster sugar

Method:

1. Sterilise a couple of jars (wash in boiling water then leave to dry in a hot oven)
2. Set a pan of water to heat and find a bowl which can sit on top, without touching the water.
3. In this bowl (before putting it over the heat), lightly beat together all of the ingredients to ensure that the eggs are fully combined.
4. Place the bowl over the pan of gently simmering water and stir until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon - this should take about 30mins.
5. Pour into your jars, put the lids on immediately and leave to cool before storing in the fridge.

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