pucker up.

we are spoiled here by the abundance of fruit trees that grow seemingly in everyone’s backyard – cherries, avocados, apples, pears, figs, meyer lemons, conventional lemons & so it goes. the other day we were at a bbq & the lemon tree in the backyard was…  something special.  the lemons were huge.  and by huge i mean conversation-stopping & then oh-my-god-did-you-see-the-size-of-those-lemons-huge (see scientific comparison documentation photo below).  the kids played football with one.  our endlessly creative waldorf teacher friend made a puppet with another. and i made a triple recipe of lemon curd with mine.  this is a tangy curd – you may want to increase the sugar – but i love its lemony-ness.  over the weekend we had it on pancakes that the boy made (recipe coming soon!).  it would also be great on toast with butter or as a filling for a fruit tart with fruits from, if you’re lucky, your & your neighbor’s backyard.

lemon curd (makes about 3 cups)

5 large eggs
2/3 C sugar
grated zest of 2 lemons
1 C fresh lemon juice (6 – 8 lemons)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces

whisk the eggs, sugar and zest together in a medium stainless-steel saucepan.  add the lemon juice & butter.  continue to whisk while cooking over a medium flame until the butter has melted & the mixture is thick.  reduce heat to low & simmer for a few minutes.*  serve warm or cover surface of curd with wax paper and cool completely.

*i like the texture of the zest; however, if you prefer a smooth consistency, force curd through a fine sieve set into another bowl.

the egg is for scale. and for the lemon curd.