Lemon Curd ~ a taste of California Sunshine!

I couldn’t help but notice lemons in the road near where we lived. I thought a truck might have spilled some of it’s load. The next week I noticed a few more. When I looked up, I realized there was a house at the top of a long driveway across the street and also at the top, was a lemon tree.

A few weeks later I saw a man , parked at the end of the driveway, getting his mail. I quickly ran over and introduced myself.

“Hi,” I began. “We are new to the neighborhood. I noticed you have a lot of  “road-kill” lemons and I happen to cook.”  Which was pretty obvious since I was wearing an apron. “I was wondering if I could pick a few lemons before they roll into the street.”

The man smiled.. “You can pick anytime.”

And that is when I discovered lemon curd..the tart and tangy substance.

Amy and I added a few modifications. And I canned it using a steam canner.

When we added a little cream cheese and spread it on a piece of fresh bread it was amazing.

A taste of California sunshine in a jar.

One of the best things to do is find someone with a lemon tree. Introduce yourself, and remember to share.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HoBqJ-88ok[/youtube]

Lemon Curd – Sunshine in a jar
Ingredients

1 cup sugar

2 Tbl corn starch

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice.

¼ cup water

1 Tbl  grated lemon zest

4 egg yolks

1/3 cup butter, cut into pats.

In a medium saucepan stir together sugar and cornstarch. Add in lemon juice, water and lemon zest.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly. It will begin to turn from a cloudy color to clear.

Pour half of lemon mixture into a bowl and whisk in egg yolks.  Once well mixed return to pan and continue stirring over medium heat until mixture comes to a gentle boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.

Turn off and stir in butter until melted.

Put into a bowl and let set until cool or can.

I use a steam canner and love using small glass jars. I usually make several batches at once. Can easily be doubled.

From my kitchen to yours,

Enjoy!