A bright, buttery lemon curd, silky-smooth and mouth-puckeringly tart.
8 steps, about 25 minutes start to finish.
Prepare the Ingredients: Zest and juice the lemons. Make sure you have about 2 tablespoons of zest and 1 cup of lemon juice.
Whisk the Eggs and Sugar: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar and eggs until smooth and well combined.
Add Lemon Juice and Zest: Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
Cook the Mixture: Place the saucepan over medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Make sure to stir all around the edges of the pan to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add Butter: Once the mixture starts to thicken and coats the back of the spoon (this should take about 8-10 minutes), reduce the heat to low and add the butter cubes, one at a time, stirring until fully melted and incorporated.
Strain the Curd: For an extra smooth lemon curd, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any bits of zest or cooked egg.
Cool and Store: Let the lemon curd cool to room temperature, then transfer it to jars or airtight containers.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
“Keep it over medium heat and stir constantly, reaching the edges of the pan, so the eggs thicken smoothly instead of scrambling. Straining at the end catches any stray bits and gives you that glass-smooth curd.”
