Lemon Curd

Needless to say, I don't have a photograph of this deliciously citrus-ey, creamy lemon curd. Quite simply, it was too delicious and got eaten before I could even start wielding a camera... Brilliantly for cholesterol-lowerers everywhere, this recipe doesn't feature butter, just some Extra Virgin Olive Oil; but it is as perfectly sweet and sour a thing as I have ever cooked or eaten. Delicious on toast, sublime in a white brioche roll, and almost too good as part of a lemon meringue pie; this is total testimony to Nigel Slater's brilliance.

Ingredients (2 jars)

  • 4 Un-waxed Lemons, zest and juice
  • 3 Free Range Eggs plus one yolk
  • 200g Sugar
  • 100g Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ingredients (for 1 jar)

  • 2 Un-waxed Lemons, zest and juice
  • 2 Free Range Eggs
  • 100g Sugar
  • 60g Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Find a saucepan that is the right size for putting a large heat proof bowl into (or rather, on top of).  Put an inch or two of water in the pan, and bring to the simmer over a gentle heat

Zest your Lemons and then juice them into the aforementioned large heat proof bowl

Add the Sugar and the Olive Oil to the Lemon in the bowl

Put the bowl into the saucepan (actually on the top of the saucepan), making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the simmering water… Over a gentle heat, give the mixture a little whisk every so often, until the Sugar melts into the Olive Oil

While this is happening, lightly beat together the eggs before adding them to the large Lemon-ey bowl

Cook the mixture over a very gentle heat for 10 minutes or so… you’ll see (and feel) the mixture getting thicker and more unctuous.  Nigel says it will be heavy on the spoon when done (and you’ll taste when the consistency is right)

After 10 – 15 mins, take the Lemon Curd off the heat and leave to cool down, stirring occasionally

Try to make sure you and any co-residents in the kitchen don’t eat all the Lemon Curd before you get to use it with something like toast or meringue or pastry…

[This recipe came from the Observer Food Monthly, from Nigel Slater, whose recipe I have slightly adapted by swapping Butter for Olive Oil.  I hope he doesn’t mind!]

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