Quick lemon curd

Photo: Jules / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Here's the easiest way ever to make lemon curd... a quick lemon curd that lives up to its name.

Ingredients

• 200g unsalted butter, cut into large cubes

• 200g caster sugar

• Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

• 120ml fresh lemon juice

• 6 medium (size 6) free-range eggs, beaten and strained through a coarse sieve

Method

Put the butter, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap (use a wrap suitable for microwaving). Cook on High for 4 minutes.

Remove from oven, carefully lift off plastic wrap and mix in eggs. Cook uncovered on High for 2 minutes, remove from microwave. It will look weird at this stage– the eggs will be puffy and there’ll be butter floating around the edges – but don’t panic, it will come together! Transfer to the bowl of a food processor and blend for 30 seconds, or until smooth.

Tip into a container, cool, then cover with a lid and refrigerate.

Note: While it is tempting to use Meyer lemons because they are cheap and plentiful, in this part of the world at any rate, and they yield plenty of juice, if you want a good set you must use acidic lemons. Lemon curd is best kept in the fridge but even then will not last as long as jam, especially if made with Meyer lemons.