Yields 2 cups (480 milliliters)
My grandma would be remiss if she didn’t have a jar of lemon curd stowed in the door of her fridge. She would pull out that sacred vessel of velvety, creamy lemon goodness that we children loved to spread upon our pancakes, dollop upon ice cream, or sneak sumptuous spoonfuls straight from the jar when no one was watching. While there are plenty of decent store-bought lemon curd varieties, nothing compares to using locally grown lemons, butter from happy cows, and deep, golden yolks from pasture-raised eggs to create a silky smooth lemon curd.
1 cup (200 grams) cane sugar
1/2 cup (120 milliliters) fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp (6 grams) lemon zest
7 large egg yolks
1/2 cup (114 grams) cold salted butter, cubed
In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and egg yolks. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water to make a bain-marie, making sure the water does not touch the bowl. Whisking gently, cook the mixture until it reaches 172°F (78°C). Remove the curd from the heat and strain it through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Let the curd cool until it reaches 140°F (60°C).
Using an immersion blender, blend the butter into the curd until it is silky smooth. Adding the butter at this point allows the butter to melt slowly, maintaining its supple, creamy quality. Strain the curd through the sieve a second time to remove any lumps.
To prevent a skin from forming, seal the curd in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. Lemon curd will keep beautifully in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
