A failproof recipe for lemon curd, but very delicious none the less. Perfect for pies and pastries, or to serve with dessert. The recipe contains cornstarch as a stabilising agent, which makes this a great option for a lemon meringue pie as it will not overbake.
Ingredients:
- 300gr sugar
- pinch of salt
- 60gr cornstarch
- 400ml cold water
- 50gr butter
- 7 large eggyolks
- 125ml lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbs lemon zest
Recipe:
Combine the sugar, salt, cornstarch and water in a thick based saucepan. Bring it to the boil and have it cook at a rolling boil (be careful for splutters) for two full minutes. The mixture will be translucent and thick.
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the butter.
Place the yolks in a large bowl and stir them to break them apart. Add around half a cup of the hot cornstarch mixture to the bowl and stir well. This heats up the yolks more gently than adding the yolks to the pan, where they would become scrambled eggs.
Stir the hot yolk mix into the pan. Heat the curd again and have it boil for 5 minutes. This avoids the curd separating or thinning after cooling.
Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and the vanilla. If the curd has lumps, strain it first, then stir in the lemon zest. Bottle in clean jars or use as desired in pies and pastries.