Hello, my dear girls and boys!

For most of us, desperate housewives and just housewives, autumn is the time to return to the kitchen, oven, hot dinners and freshly baked pastries. And no matter how much we resist it, in such cold weather it is simply impossible to resist the temptation to treat ourselves to a tasty, airy, aromatic and, most importantly, hot piece of fresh homemade pie. After all, we must not forget that food is not only carbohydrates and proteins, it is also the positive energy with which homemade pies are charged, if they are prepared with love. I began to notice with pleasure how my social media feeds gradually began to be filled with delicious homemade baked goods and the happy faces of the owners of these same baked goods.

But it's still summer in Greece! There are no yellow leaves (although there are never any here), people wear shorts and flip-flops, on weekends they still go to the sea to swim and sunbathe, and on the islands you can still meet belated tourists, in taverns and cafes people still sit outside even in the evenings . And only lemons and oranges ripening on the trees remind us that winter is coming.

I didn’t wait for the neighbor’s lemon tree to ripen and went and bought them at the market. Because it has been my plan for a long time to show you how to prepare real correct and rich lemon curd with fresh yolks and quality butter.

Who is a “Kurd” and what does lemons have to do with it?

The editor of a well-known culinary magazine, whom I respect very much, is actively fighting for the right to be called lemon curd. cream . She insists that the word “Kurd” in Russian can only mean the definition of an ethnic group living in Turkey. I can’t disagree with her, but you can’t go against the will of the people. But in the minds of the absolute majority of the Russian-speaking population of the planet, a stable phrase, a tracing-paper from the English language, has already formed and taken hold - “lemon curd”. So, it is this phrase that I will use in this context. Forgive me, dear Marianne.

Essentially, lemon curd is the same custard, or to be precise, a crème anglaise in which egg yolks are brewed, only instead of milk, lemon juice and zest are used.

Very often in recipes starch is added to lemon cream for thickness. In my opinion, this significantly spoils not only the taste, but also the texture of the Kurd. With the correct and only correct preparation, the curd turns out to be quite thick and homogeneous.

What I like most about lemon cream is that it's ready in no time!

Where can you apply lemon cream?

Fans of sour tastes can use lemon cream as a spread in any combination: with bread, buns, pancakes, pancakes, cheesecakes, etc.

I have a friend here, so give her a jar of Kurd, a larger spoon and she will be happy, and she won’t need anything else. Those who treat lemons more carefully can fill tarts, cakes, rolls, pastries or cupcakes with them. I usually cook with it and.

For me personally, the most optimal use of lemon curd is just a classic lemon pie with meringue. It is with neutral shortbread dough and sweet airy meringue that sour lemon curd goes perfectly well.

Anticipating your question, I will say: Yes, instead of lemons you can use oranges, tangerines, limes, and even various berries (preferably sour ones). At the same time, the preparation technology and ratios will remain the same. It’s just that such a cream will no longer have the characteristic lemon sourness. I advise you to try blood orange curd. The color turns out to be fire!

So, let's get down to step-by-step preparation!

From this amount of ingredients we will get a 250 ml jar of the finished product.

We will need:

• freshly squeezed lemon juice - 115 ml (2-3 pcs.)
• grated lemon zest - 2 tsp. (2 pcs.)
• sugar - 75 gr.
• egg yolks - 4 pcs.
• butter - 60 gr.

Step-by-step preparation:

For filling tarts, it is better to use Kurd while still warm. And for cakes, lemon cream must be cooled.

On this bright yellow note, I say goodbye, but not for long.

Good luck, love and patience.

Every housewife should have a classic recipe for lemon cream. No wonder this recipe is in two books by Anastasia Zurabova! And now you can check it out on the website. Lemon curd is an excellent product that is not only good on its own, but can also serve as a filling for various baked goods: from donuts and cupcakes to cheesecakes and tarts. This dessert is also an amazing sauce for cheesecakes, pancakes and pancakes. Light, fresh and aromatic cream that everyone will love!

What is lemon curd

In fact, this traditional British dessert is a fruit cream made from eggs, butter and sugar with the addition of fruit, usually citrus fruits. Since the 19th century, lemon curd has become a common part of English cuisine, served on bread and toast instead of jam. It is also used as a filling for baked goods.
Lemon cream differs from regular custard in its distinct citrus aroma and more uniform texture.
Kurd is not an independent dish; it is eaten with bread, toast, and also as part of numerous desserts. But it's time to start cooking!

Ingredients

• Lemon juice – 240 ml
• Zest of one lemon
• Yolk - 3 pcs
• Sugar - 150 g
• Corn starch - 20 g
• Butter - 60 g
• Salt - a pinch

How to cook

1. Pour lemon juice into a saucepan and heat over medium heat until almost boiling.

First of all, prepare the lemons. It will take 3-4 medium fruits to get 100 ml of juice. But before squeezing the juice, remove the zest from all the lemons. Place citrus fruits in a colander and scald with boiling water, dry with a towel. Place a sheet of parchment on a fine grater to reduce zest loss. Remove the yellow part of the lemon, carefully wiping it from all sides. Afterwards, peel off the parchment with a knife.

Now squeeze out the juice in a way convenient for you. Roll the lemons on the table before squeezing. Cut in half and squeeze out the juice. You should get 100 ml of juice.


Add medium-sized chicken eggs to a deep heatproof bowl. Pour in granulated sugar. Mix a little with a hand whisk. No need to beat.


Add a pinch of salt and lemon zest. Stir.


Pour in the squeezed juice, add pieces of butter and cornstarch. Stir.

Corn starch can be replaced with potato starch.

Now let's figure out how much to cook so that it turns out to be the desired consistency. . Pour water into a saucepan and boil. Place the bowl with the egg-sugar mixture in the bath. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the liquid, and the water should simmer slowly. Take a whisk and stir constantly until the mixture thickens. This process usually takes 2-3 minutes.


Once the mixture thickens, remove the bowl from the water bath.


Pass the cream through a fine strainer to remove any remaining zest and any lumps that have formed. This step is convenient to do with a hand whisk, turning it in a circle.


Prepare a bowl of ice water in advance. Place the bowl of cream in cold water and stir vigorously until the temperature drops below room temperature. In this way, we will prevent the appearance of a film on the surface of the cream.


Done, help yourself!


Delicious desserts to you! ×

Lemon curd

• Yolks - 4 pcs.
• Lemon juice - 100 ml
• Sugar - 130 g
• Butter - 100 g
• Zest of 1 lemon

Close Printing ingredients

Lately it has become increasingly difficult to force myself to blog. Either it’s vitamin deficiency, or the pranks of the spring wind in my head, or I just haven’t had a normal vacation for a long time... Nevertheless, I have captured several wonderful recipes that are worthy of telling about them. One of them - lemon curd. Many people have asked me how I do it. So, now I’ll show you everything.

There are many recipes for this wonderful Kurd on the Internet, and I didn’t come up with the one I use myself either. To be honest, I'm not ashamed of it at all. I always and everywhere write that I am not a technologist or a pastry chef with a special education, and the benefit of this blog is the honesty of the recipes, a detailed description of the technologies and secrets on which so much sometimes depends. As for the rest - yes, I don’t see the point in reinventing the wheel. I just adjust the proportions a little to my taste, compile, modify something... In general, I do everything that most home confectioners do, who then write that their recipes are original, specially developed, and that they spent many hours and tons of products , so now they will never share secrets with anyone :) Don’t be offended if you are one of those :) This, in general, is your right. And I don’t deny that someone may have really come up with the know-how :)

And we are going to cook delicious, tender and at the same time invigorating lemon curd- a real bliss for lovers of citrus desserts! Which is exactly what I am, for example.

Any Kurd, in essence, is a berry-fruit custard. It is not thick enough and, perhaps, too rich in taste to be the only layer in the cake, like cream, so the Kurds use it, rather, as an additive, filling, in combination with some kind of main cream. If you want to add curd to the cake, you need to make a ring of stable cream around the circumference of the cake, place the curd inside the ring on the cake, and then put the cream on top of the curd, and then cover with the next cake. Kurds are also great as a filling for cupcakes and macarons.

As for lemon curd, I have come across many recipes that contain starch and flour. I don’t want to say anything against it, but in general, a good tasty curd can be prepared without this, just from lemon juice, yolks, sugar and butter. It happens that curd is cooked using eggs rather than yolks, but keep in mind that yolks always make it softer and the egg taste is less obvious (let’s just say that in curd with yolks, I personally don’t feel any eggs at all). Someone complains about a metallic taste - I also haven’t noticed this and don’t even understand what they’re talking about :) However, everyone who complains says that the next day the taste disappears. So if anything happens, just wait :) It may also happen that you find the Kurd a bit sour. Here I can only answer one thing - this is LEMON curd, and lemon is a sour fruit :) You’ll have to accept it or increase the amount of sugar next time. And further. Butter is responsible for the stability (and the taste, of course, too) of the cream. Therefore, if you want a thicker and denser cream, you can add more butter. But don’t overdo it, otherwise you risk getting lemon-scented butter instead of a delicate creamy mass. And by the way, take good butter, tasty in itself, as real as you can find on sale and afford.

In general, I recommend that for the first time you do it as I write; if in doubt, make half a portion. I like how it turns out lemon curd— when hot it is liquid, but in the refrigerator it stabilizes and becomes denser. The taste is sweet and sour, fresh, super citrusy, such that I personally think I can eat the entire portion, without any dough, just with tea! And my family and I generally fight for him :) You know that I won’t recommend nonsense :)

Wash the lemon well, preferably using a brush, to remove all the wax that covers the fruit for better storage. Remove the zest using a fine grater. Add 130 g of sugar and mix. Let it brew for half an hour. But if there is no time, then we don’t wait, but immediately move on to the next point.

Place 4 yolks of fresh category 1 eggs, sugar with zest and 100 ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice into a small saucepan. This is the juice of about 2 small lemons. I push up with my hands. Roll the lemons on the table, the juice will then come out easier.

Mix all the ingredients with a whisk and place in a water bath so that the water barely touches the bottom of the saucepan.

Stirring constantly with a whisk, boil the mixture in a water bath until thickened. The color will change and become lighter.

An important criterion for readiness: dip the tip of the knife into the mixture, remove it and draw a line with your finger. If it doesn’t close and the cream doesn’t spread, it means it’s ready and you can remove it from the bath.

Now add 100g of delicious butter.

Stir and pass through a sieve.

Kurd is ready!

It is quite liquid when warm.

Be sure to refrigerate it before using. This is what he will become.

Would you like to say thank you? The best gratitude is a repost! Share with your friends!

35 comments to the post " Lemon curd"

The Kurd turns out to be extraordinary, I have to give it its due. The site is superb, the only thing that’s a little confusing is that absolutely all the recipes were copied from Milana, even small details that could have been slightly distorted or transformed so that they wouldn’t be so obvious. Although taking the traditional long introduction before the prescription itself can be counted as an attempt. Overall, thank you for taking the time to take your own photos! You are smart!

Tori, can you give me a hint: I’m planning to make a honey cake with sour cream according to your recipe. Is it possible to add lemon curd between the cakes and is it necessary to make a side of cream? Is sour cream suitable for the rim in this case?

Tori, thank you so much for your recipes - so detailed, thorough... And for how thoroughly you answer in the comments! I looked at the recipe for lemon curd several times, and it always seemed like it would be very sour. I dared to make it with cupcakes - it’s truly a fairy tale! The magic cream just happened! Now I understand that you can fight for him! I wanted to add my two cents about the “metallic” taste. For myself, I realized that the problem is in the lemons themselves... They taste different. The first time I made it, it turned out rather sweet and sour, but today they brought lemons and I had to process a large quantity quickly. I immediately remembered the Kurd... But the lemons themselves tasted sooooo sour... and when I tried it, that same “metallic” taste was added... Therefore, I decided for myself that it was the fruits themselves - different in taste... This time I added 3 times more sugar and it turned out sweet and sour... But all this did not stop me from persuading a decent plate in a warm company over a cup of tea! And no one complained about the taste... I noticed this for myself

Good afternoon Your site is some kind of charm)))
I'm new to the art of pastry. But I always felt a craving for this... Your articles are very sincere with all the nuances. Thank you
Resolve the questions. Maybe stupid, but still... (I hope it's forgiven to newcomers!...))))
I want to make a Barbie cake for my daughter’s birthday. The cakes are a sponge cake made with hot milk with added butter; I will decorate the outside with your Italian meringue)).
Actually questions.
1. Is it possible to use sour cream in combination with lemon curd in this cake or will it be too sour? Alternatively, maybe you shouldn’t smear Kurd on every layer? Or what cream do you think could be an alternative in this cake?
2. Do I understand correctly that Italian meringue is a more stable cream compared to sour cream, so can the rim for the curd be made from meringue? And then spread the curd and the main (sour cream?) cream on it?
3. Can this cake be layered with meringue?
4. Is impregnation necessary? In what quantity?

It’s difficult for me to answer your questions because I don’t know the features of this biscuit. What matters here is how dense, moist, and heavy it is. If it itself is wet, impregnation may not be needed, or maybe it is, maybe you like wet cakes, I don’t know) If the sponge cake is heavy and the cream is liquid (by the way, what kind of sour cream do you want to make?) - then the cakes will push out the cream, even if you make a side, and if they don’t push out, then the liquid cream will simply be absorbed into the cakes and the layer of cream will be very thin... Do you understand? It’s difficult to comment on someone else’s recipe and someone else’s idea. Meringue, in general, is suitable for the side and outer covering. The main thing is to do it correctly. This cream is capricious, if you don’t beat it enough, it can begin to separate, settle, flow, become spongy, like spring snow, and the worst thing is that you may not understand it right away, but only after you’ve decorated it and put it in the refrigerator. I don’t want to intimidate you, but to warn you) Be careful and do everything in full accordance with the instructions) If you haven’t already. We didn't work on holidays, so I'm only answering now.

Good afternoon Thanks for the answer.
It’s a pity that I came across your weekend, I was waiting for an answer. But nothing, thanks to your site I roughly understood the principle and took a risk, and in almost everything.
The lemon curd had a distinct metallic aftertaste. I decided to layer one of the 6 cake layers with it, in a thin layer, I thought maybe the taste in the cake would change. But no. It felt the same way in this layer. Maybe it's all about the metal. Try it in an enamel pan, will it burn?
The ice cream cream is gorgeous, it went well with the sponge cake with hot milk (the sponge cake is heavy and moist in itself, I didn’t even soak it)
The cream cheese blew my mind. Rich taste. And how he behaves.. mmm... Very obedient.
And on the Italian meringue, my knitting needles just started flying out one by one! from the whisk of a mixer (it’s like that, you know, one whisk on the handle of a blender). This is due to the thickness of the cream! I didn’t have anything else... so, naturally, it wasn’t whipped enough, it sagged, and the pattern wasn’t quite as textured as it should have been... But I prepared for it, I even bought a thermometer (((But it didn’t drip, although we put it in the nursery They took the room. And it’s very tasty. It’s my favorite.

Sorry, but we are people too. Blender is not suitable for such things, that's true. For confectionery manipulations, it is better to use a mixer with two whisks or a planetary one. Well, there should be more power. I don’t feel a metallic taste; you can see for yourself what kind of dishes I have, not enameled. Perhaps this is an individual matter - this taste. What kind of cream was in the cake with milk shortbread?

Do you think that you have already tried everything and nothing will surprise you? You shouldn't think so. It was this recipe that became something of a revelation for me! You know, my emotions, when I was preparing it, reached peak power! From delight: “How lovely!”, to: “So simple?!”, and again to delight: “Wow!”
What is lemon curd? First I'll tell you about my impressions. This is tenderness, so magical, velvety that you take a spoonful of curd into your mouth and freeze with happiness while the cream melts in your mouth, spreading with all shades of sour-sweet-airy pleasure.

Now it remains to dispel the last secrets and tell how this tenderness is prepared. I’ll introduce you to the basic recipe that I picked up from Chadeika. And right away I will be happy to thank Irina Chadeeva not only for this recipe, but also for the tips and recommendations on her website.

Classic lemon curd

This dish of English cuisine is a custard, where the main ingredient is lemon. By the way, there are only 4 ingredients: egg, lemon, sugar and butter. Well, let's mix everything together to make a classic lemon curd?
I looked at Irina to see what the ratio of products should be. And based on this I prepare the portion I need. She advised taking 1 lemon for 1 egg, 10-15 g butter and 50 sugar.
I have accordingly:

• Lemon – 4 pcs.;
• Eggs – 4 pcs.;
• Sugar – 200 g;
• Butter – 40 g.

How to make lemon curd at home

I zest two lemons.

I add sugar to the zest. Mix well.

I squeeze the juice out of all four lemons. I add it to the zest and sugar. I stir.

I beat the eggs separately. No need to be overzealous, no foam needed, just a homogeneous mixture.

I add it to the rest of the ingredients. I mix everything well.

Now I let the future cream brew. The next step will be straining to separate the zest.

Therefore, an additional half hour gives the cream a chance to soak in and take on the taste and aroma of the zest.
Straining. This provides another advantage. Proteins that do not mix well with the bulk are also separated. And then, during heat treatment, white flakes will not form in the cream.

Place the saucepan with the mixture on medium heat.
I add oil.

Stir constantly until the cream thickens. If you run your finger along the spatula, the trace should not spread; in this case, the cream is ready (this is a standard test when preparing any cream).

The cooking process itself took about 10 minutes (not taking into account the half hour when the mixture with the zest was infused), of which 4-5 was for cooking.
There's just a little bit left to do. Pour into beautiful jars and place the curd in the refrigerator.

All! The bright, aromatic and incomparably delicious cream is ready! After it sits in the refrigerator, its consistency will become quite thick and incredibly tender.

And I will tell you about its advantages:

• Beautiful bright color;
• Useful;
• Delicious;
• Prepares quickly;
• Simple and affordable ingredients;
• Amazing aroma;
• Also, it can become the basis for other variations of the cream;
• You can use it to diversify your breakfast, prepare a number of desserts, or decorate a birthday cake.

In a word: how did I manage without it before?)
And one more plus! It keeps for a long time! Up to 2-3 weeks. Really, I would like to see the person who actually keeps this yummy food! Everything quickly and without a trace disappears before our eyes. Only a pleasant aftertaste remains, and the feeling that I myself am completely saturated with the freshness of lemon.
Lemon curd is perfect to balance the sickly sweet taste of meringue.

Traditionally, the British liked to spread lemon curd on their toast. Today this cream is used much more widely. They decorate some ready-made dishes, for example, cakes or pastries, where the curd acts as a cream. Kurd can be used as a filling for.

You can fill baskets, grease pancakes, pancakes or crumpets. This cream can also be used as a basis for the preparation of some desserts, where it is added in a semi-liquid state or already frozen. For example, these could be tarts. But who will stop us from “spoiling” the tender Kurd with anything and crushing this yummy with a spoon? Lemon curd can be used to prepare
Now let's diversify the recipe!

The principle of preparing lemon curd as a basis

You guessed it right! And instead of lemons, you can take any other citrus or berry that is quite sour. It could be oranges or limes. One of his friends said that he tried it with pomegranate and currants. All these ingredients can be either basic or additional. I'll tell you about lemon-tangerine curd.
Its advantage is a very delicate taste, the acidity of the lemon is so muted that the tangerine notes we love for the New Year holidays clearly appear.

How to cook tangerine curd

This is how quickly and easily you can please yourself and your loved ones with a wonderful cream!

• It is better not to use juice from the store for Kurd. This may ruin the cream itself. And one more thing: now the finished zest is on sale. Don't be tempted! Use fresh! It will be much tastier with it.
• To better squeeze the juice out of lemons, roll them on the table.
• The zest in this dish is not an indulgence or a decoration. She is one of the main ingredients. That’s why it’s worth adding it even if it’s, for example, pomegranate curd.
• If the eggs are small, take an extra number, 1 or 2, depending on the size.
• Sometimes the taste depends on the quality or variety of lemon. Therefore, to make the cream exactly the way you want it to be, you can add the juice of other citrus fruits: tangerine - to reduce acidity; lime - to increase it.
• Want to quickly zest? Place the lemon in the freezer for a few minutes.
• You can cook the curd in a water bath. This procedure will take more time, but the cream is guaranteed not to burn and the eggs will not curl.

Now, it seems, that’s it!)

Classic lemon curd makes an excellent filling for French macarons. You can watch how to make these delicious cakes on our You Tube video channel:

If I forgot something, or if you, my dear friends, have something to add to all of the above, leave a comment. I will be glad to know that you are interested in my experiments in the kitchen!
Bye bye!

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