Lemon Curd (or Lime), an Ankarsrum Mixer Recipe
If you are looking for a beautiful way to preserve extra lemons or limes, look no further than Lemon or Lime Curd. Sweet-tart, smooth, and creamy…if you haven’t tasted homemade lemon curd, you are in for a real treat! Lemon or Lime Curd refrigerates or freezes well and can also be used as a means of preserving extra egg yolks, with the whites reserved for Angel Food cake, French macarons, or extra-fluffy omelets.
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 3 half pint jars 1x
- Category: Dessert topping
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3 lemons or 6 limes (Meyer lemons are wonderful)
- 1/2 cup butter, unsalted preferred
- Pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter)
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- 1. Prepare a double boiler. Run 2 inches (5 cm) water into a saucepan and place a second pan or heat-proof bowl that fits in the saucepan nearby (not in the pan yet.) Set the heat on medium and bring the water to a simmer.
- Use a microplane zester to grate the fragrant colored portion of the peel onto a piece of parchment paper or a cutting board. Alternatively, use a vegetable peeler or sharp paring knife to remove the peel without the white pith, then mine finely with a chef’s knife. You need 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest or 1 tablespoon lime. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into a small bowl. Strain and ensure 1/2 cup (120 ml). Place the measured zest and juice into the pan or bowl serving as the top of your double boiler. Cut butter into slices. Drop butter into the bowl with the juice and zest; add a pinch of salt if using unsalted butter. Set aside.
- Prepare your Ankarsrum mixer. Remove the 8-liter stainless steel bowl and fit the drive shaft into the mixer base, notched side down. Place the smaller 3.7-quart plastic of metal bowl onto the drive shaft and rotate the bowl until it clicks into place. Snap the balloon whisks into the whisk drive housing, making sure that the ring gear is placed correctly. The beveled side of the gear fits into and faces the housing.
- Separate the eggs, placing the yolks and whole egg in the mixer bowl. It is best to separate the eggs one at a time, allowing the white to drop into a small bowl first, before adding it to the larger amount of egg whites. This will ensure that the whites are yolk-free in case you want to make an Angel Food cake or another recipe that requires whipped egg whites. Set mixer on low (12 o’clock), increasing to medium-high speed (5 to 6 o’clock.) Gradually add the sugar, continuing to beat until the eggs are pale, fluffy, and very thick, about 4 minutes. Do not walk away from the mixer – it can go quickly.
- Scrape the egg mixture into the double-boiler bowl and set the bowl on the saucepan of simmering water. Immediately begin whisking as it has. Cook and whisk almost constantly until the mixture has thickened and is steaming hot, about 165-170 F (74-77 C). This will take about 10 minutes for a single batch, 15 for a double batch. Be careful not to overcook the lemon curd. It is done when it coats a metal or wooden spoon heavily. Carefully remove the bowl from the double boiler using hotpads and set it on a hotpad.
- Let the curd cool 5 minutes, then pour through a fine mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl, pressing with a rubber spatula. Leave the zest behind in the strainer and discard. Pour the lemon curd into clean, dry half-pint jars leaving 1/2-inch (a generous centimeter) headspace. Let the jars of lemon curd cool at room temperature, uncovered. When cool, add lids and rings and label the jars.
- Serve lemon curd with pound cake, Angel food cake, spice cake, gingerbread, trifle, flan, or pavlova; use it to fill scones or crepes; serve over Belgian waffles for a special holiday breakfast or brunch; top a bowl of fresh berries with lemon curd in summer.
Notes
- If you have leftover juice, freeze it in an ice cube tray, then pop the cubes out and store in a labeled jar in the freezer for future recipes.
- Likewise, extra zest can be dried at room temp, ground to a powder in a blender, and added to a spice jar.
- You can make a double batch with the 3.7-liter bowl. If you would like to make a triple or larger batch, use the 8-liter stainless steel bowl. (Remember the printable recipe offers a multiplication button that automatically doubles or triples the ingredients for you.)