Lemon Curd

Alton Brown

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Show: Good EatsEpisode: The Egg-Files

Rated 4 stars out of 5
  • Rate This Recipe
  • Read 66 Reviews
Total Time:
20 min
Prep
5 min
Cook
15 min
Yield:
1 pint
Level:
--
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Ingredients

  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 lemons, zested and juiced
  • 1 stick butter, cut into pats and chilled

Directions

Add enough water to a medium saucepan to come about 1-inch up the side. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium size metal bowl and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute. Measure citrus juice and if needed, add enough cold water to reach 1/3 cup. Add juice and zest to egg mixture and whisk smooth. Once water reaches a simmer, reduce heat to low and place bowl on top of saucepan. (Bowl should be large enough to fit on top of saucepan without touching the water.) Whisk until thickened, approximately 8 minutes, or until mixture is light yellow and coats the back of a spoon. Remove promptly from heat and stir in butter a piece at a time, allowing each addition to melt before adding the next. Remove to a clean container and cover by laying a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

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Newest Ratings and Reviews

Read all 66 reviews

  • on October 06, 2011

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    I went to culinary school for awhile and to add more lemon flavor add the lemon zest at the end with the butter. Another way to add thickness is gelatin. Put a tablespoon of powdered gelatin before you heat it or add 1/2 a piece of bloomed sheet gelatin with the butter. (If you're wondering what blooming is, it's simply sticking the sheet gel in ice water for about 2 minutes. It will come out still in a sheet but will feel like jello

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  • on July 03, 2011

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    delicious! alton you do it perfect every time!

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  • on June 09, 2011

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    I make lemon curd ,in my profession, weekly, and I think I know why some people may have had problems with thickening. I can't believe that some people actually threw out their results, not necessary. What a waste of food. It's not the amount of sugar or the lemon juice. This formula WILL take longer than 8 minutes to thicken. So keep stirring until it does (15 min.Plus, the curd will thicken even more once it cools off. The lemon curd we use in my bakeshop uses whole eggs along with the egg yolks, in equal amounts.As you cook the ingredients over the double boiler, it is the egg yolks & whole eggs ,combined, that will coagulate over the heat, causing the thickening that you're looking for. In making pastries, it is a science, and having the correct measurement of ingredients is most important. Trust me, add equal amounts of whole eggs to this recipe and you will be successful. P.S. Lemon curd is supposed to be sweet, and intense. Don't take out any sugar or lemon..

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