No Waste Lemon Curd

I always like to have citrus on hand in my home. Not only does it come in bright and cheerful colors like vibrant oranges, yellows and greens but it adds an extra zest (literally) to dressings, desserts and dinners. It can be used for household cleaning as well as sprinkling into a muffin. I had three lemons left that were starting to turn and given the situation we are in, did not want to have them go to waste. I decided… hey I have time let’s make lemon curd.

This recipe takes just that. Time. Time and a watchful eye. I made sure to get otto situated in his high chair with his breakfast because you have to have about 15 minutes of undivided attention to this curd. I would suggest to make it in the morning before you have your breakfast because in order to make this zero waste, we have to use those left over egg whites. The curd will only use the yolks.

I used the egg whites for my breakfast scrambled with a bit of goat cheese and chives. I also used the left over squeezed lemons for cleaning some of my cutting boards following this tutorial here.

You are going to need just a handful of ingredients to make your own lemon curd and once you get the hang of it, you won’t ever buy store bought again.

You’ll need

• 2 – 3 lemons (enough to give you 1/3 cup of lemon juice ) I needed two.
• 4 egg yolks, save those egg whites for breakfast.
• 2/3 cup of sugar
• 1 tbsp of Lemon Zest
• Big pinch of salt
• 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter cut into small chunks and at room temperature. If you are using salted butter omit the big pinch of salt.

Equipment you’ll need

• Glass bowl that can sit on top of your pot
• A pot that fits under the glass bowl and can hold about 3 inches of boiling water
• Whisk
• Plastic wrap
• storage container for your curd

1. Prepare all the ingredients and measure everything out.
2. Place the pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. If you are not sure how to assemble this set up watch this vide0. Once the water is boiling reduce to a simmer.
3. Mix together the lemon juice, zest, egg yolks, sugar in the glass bowl and place on the pot of boiling water. Make sure the glass bowl is not touching the water, just hovering above it. Continue to whisk for 10 – 12 minutes. Continuing to whisk will keep the eggs from scrambling and will give you a thick sauce. If after ten minutes it is still very runny you will want to adjust your heat up and continue to whisk. Keep in mind as it cools it will firm up a bit. You want it to be the consistency of a hollandaise sauce.
4. Once the curd has thickened, remove the bowl, turn off the heat and whisk in the butter. Once the butter has melted pour into the storage jar and cover with plastic wrap. Press the plastic wrap until it touches the curd, this will keep the curd from having a film on top. Once the curd is at room temperature remove the plastic wrap cover and store. This should keep for over a week in the fridge or you can freeze for about 4 months.

I have been mixing this lemon curd into my yogurt in the morning or on top of toast. It is the perfect pop of zing my mornings need right now. It would also be good in frosting, muffins, and scones. I have a couple of oranges on my counter that I might be attempting to turn into curd this week. Stay tuned!

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