Goodbye, Summer.
And I mean it: bye-bye. You can go now. Take all the heat with you, and the humidity, quit drying out the grass and the trees and making everyone sweaty. I’m so sick of you, go away, you make me miserable. It’s time for Fall.
But: before you go, and since you seem so intent on sticking around for one last big hot sticky hurrah, I’ll celebrate your upcoming departure by making lemon curd.
I never feel right about making lemony anything in the fall or winter. Well, sometimes in the winter but really not. Only if it gets unseasonably warm or it’s close to spring. but something about lemons during those times of the year is like listening to The Beach Boys when it’s snowing out. As much as I love The Beach Boys, it doesn’t seem right. Lemon things, for me, are reserved for right when spring breaks out until…well, right about now when my thoughts turn to pumpkin patches and scarves and walking through fallen leaves. Lemons just aren’t a fall flavor.
But I LOVE lemons. The first thing I made both this spring and the one before was lemon tart. The recipe i use is one of my favorites and it’s beautiful and turns out great every single time. There have been a number of occasions where i “happen” to get way too many lemons at the grocery store and need to just make a lemon tart for no reason other than I want to eat it, and I know others will join me.
Iwasn’t feeling tarty this time. It’s September, after all, and I need to move on for now. This should help me do just that. Thankfully, lemon curd is fantastic sandwiched in a cake, so I thought I’d do myself a favor and make the lemon curd ahead of time. Maybe I’ll make the cake I imagine it going in this weekend.
Maybe not. Maybe I’ll just eat this entire jar of lemon curd happily by myself before that happens.
Who knows.
Taken as it stands from Williams Sonoma’s Essentials of Baking: Recipes & Techniques for Successful Home Baking cookbook. Which I hold in the highest regard.
Lemon Curd
- Zest of 2 lemons, in wide strips
- Juice of 2 lemons, strained
- 6 tablespoons (3 oz/90 g) sugar
- 2 large whole eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup (2 oz/60 g) unsalted butter (I cut mine into big pieces)
In a large, heatproof bowl (I use a double boiler for this), combine the lemon zest, juice, sugar, eggs and butter and place over (not touching) gently simmering water in a saucepan. Whisk steadily until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts, then continue to whisk until the curd coats the back of the spoon, about 3 minutes. Do not let the curd boil.
Remove from heat. With a rubber spatula, push the curd through a medium-mesh sieve into a clean, dry bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Poke a few holes in the plastic wrap with the tip of a knife (or toothpick) to allow steam to escape. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours or for up to 5 days.
Makes about 3/4 cup (6 oz/180 ml) of lemony perfection.
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