Day Of Citrus Part 3: Meyer Lemon Curd

As a part of my day of citrus (read part one about candied citrus peels, or part 2 about lemon asparagus pasta), I decided to make lemon curd. This recipe calls for both zest and fresh pressed lemon juice, both of which I have plenty of right now. It also took me about 10 minutes to make the first time, making it one of the more simple recipes I've ever tried.

One exciting prospect for this recipe is that while you can use normal lemons, if you ever come across Meyer lemons I urge you to jump on the chance to taste something truly unique and delicious. Meyer lemons are a cross between a lemon and some kind of orange, which makes them a bit larger and sweeter than normal lemons. Their skin also has a thinness that is satisfying to squeeze, and produces a fragrance that permeates the kitchen. They are on their way out at the market this week, but I've enjoyed the samples put out by farmers. 

The thing about curd is that it often uses butter, but as I've figured out previously there's usually a healthier, lactose-free substitute that is absolutely perfect for flavor. I searched around a bit and found that some people were using coconut oil in place of butter, which seemed like a great option for me. Also, honey is often used in place of sugar; if you'd like to sub in honey, use about 1/2 the amount of sugar because honey is sweeter. There are plenty of health benefits of eating local honey (not the least of which is potential allergy relief), and it's pretty tasty! I happen to have a bucket of organic sugar from Happy Girl Kitchen Co. in my kitchen, leftover from making apple butter, so I opted for the less healthy option.  

Lemon curd is sweet and tangy, and absolutely lovely straight out of a bowl. However, if you can manage to save a little for other uses it's great on almost anything; made into ice cream, iced on top of muffins, swirled into Greek yogurt or used to top off your oatmeal. Someone also told me that it freezes well, but I haven't been able to keep any around to try that out yet. 

Other ideas of what to do with lemon curd include:

• Meyer Lemon Shortcakes with Meyer Curd on Tracey's Culinary Adventures
• Meyer Lemon Semifreddo on Cannelle et Vanille
• Blood Orange Lemon Curd on Cookie+Kate
• Lemon Curd with Scones on Honey and Jam

Meyer Lemon Curd

Ingredients

3 eggs (you can use six egg yolks instead, for an extra creamy version)

1 TBS lemon zest (about 2 Meyer lemons)

1/2 cup sugar or 1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice, or sub 1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice and 1/4 cup other citrus juice (grapefruit, pomelo, orange, etc. Fresh ginger juice is also a good addition)

6 TBS coconut oil (can also use butter)

Directions

Place eggs, zest, and sugar into a pot and whisk to combine. Add juice and coconut oil. Make sure the coconut oil is broken up into smaller pieces so it melts well. 

Cook over medium heat, whisking. Coconut oil should melt and bubbles should form. The mixture should thicken a bit. This took me about 5 minutes, although I didn't time it. Turn off heat. 

Pour the mixture into a bowl, through a strainer. I used a spatula to scrape it through. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to firm up over the next couple of hours, and eat within a week.