Lemon Curd

Last night I decided to make a jar of lemon curd with the bag of lemons that had been sitting in the fruit bowl. I always use the easy recipe from The River Cottage Family Cookbook by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Lemon Curd
100g unsalted butter
175g caster sugar
3 lemons
2 eggs, plus 1 extra egg yolk
Method
1. Sterilise the jar in the oven.
2. Cut the butter into cubes and put it into a saucepan witht the sugar
3. Grate the bright yellow zest from the lemons using the fine holed section of the
grater. Keep turning the lemon so that you only get the zest and not the bitter
white pith.
4. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze out the juice, pour it into the saucepan and
add the zest.
5. Break the eggs into a cup and add them to the saucepand with the extra yolk.
6. Place the saucepan on the hob and switch to a low heat. Stir the mixture from
time to time until the butter has melted and you have a runny yellow liquid.
7. Keep the heat low and stir all the time until the eggs thicken the mixture and
it turns into a thick sauce. Too much heat will result in scrambled eggs.
8. When the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon remove it from the
heat.
9. Pour the curd through a sieve into the clean jar.
10. Cover and label.

Keep in the fridge and use within two weeks - if it lasts that long.


I used a tablespoon of the lemon curd to make a lemon tray bake. SO easy and slices well to have with a cup of tea in the afternoon.

Lemon Tray Bake
150g margarine
150g caster sugar
3 eggs
150g SR flour
1 tablespoon lemon curd
2 lemons
2 tablespoons sugar
Icing sugar for dusting
Method
Pre-heat the oven to Gas 5/190C
1. Place margarine, sugar, flour, eggs and lemon curd into a large mixing bowl
2. Use an electric mixer and whizz until light and creamy
3. Spread the mixture into a lined, greased baking tray (Swiss Roll tray will be
fine)
4. Bake for 20-25 mins until the mixture is well risen and springs back when
touched.
5. Grate the lemon zest and place in a saucepan with the squeezed lemon juice and
sugar.
6. Heat slowly until a lemon sauce is formed.
7. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately pour over the lemon sauce.
8. The sauce will soak into the cake mixture making it sticky and so lemony.
9. When cool cut the cake into slices or fingers and sprinkle with icing sugar.
10. Store in an airtight tin.

I suggest you eat it with a cup of tea.


I mowed the grass this morning and made a start on harvesting the potaotes.
Planting potatoes is the best way to turn the soil. The worms have a field day and just love making the soil so rich. I planted early and late potaotes and the harvesting is now in progress. I have already got two large bucketfuls and have only pulled 8 plants. I can hardly believe how many potatoes have come from each plant. So I plan on having a baked potato for supper filled with green runner beans and white sauce - different.