“What am I going to do with all those lemons?” I said out loud to myself last week as I lugged the almost full grocery bag full of lemons from Ivy’s generous tree. The first thing I did was buy a juicer at Target. I’ve lived too long without a motorized machine to help with the chore. It’s a Hamilton Beach, cost was in the mid $30s and not exactly what I had in mind, but it does the trick.
Lemon curd came to mind. It’s been several years since I’ve made it and this time I found a simple recipe and didn’t have to go to the store. It was fun doing this with my helper because for such a simple recipe, it takes quite a few hands!
In a double boiler, pour a cup of sugar and three eggs. Turn the heat on low and beat at low speed for a minute or so. Be sure to use a rubber spatula to scrape the sugar that gets stuck to the bottom of the pan. Stir in a ½ cup of lemon juice, a tablespoon of lemon zest and a ¼ cup of melted butter. Adjust the heat to simmer the water underneath. Whisk often as the mixture thickens and after ten minutes or so you have tangy and elegant lemon curd that conjures up memories of holiday tea at the Palace Hotel.
Start to finish I made two batches in one hour and put it into various jars and ramekins. Now all I have to do is give it away to friends before we over indulge.