Last summer we visited friends in Provence. France being the self-styled gastronomic capital of the world, you wouldn’t think there’d be anything they’d want from England, would you. Well it seems the French, my friends at least, are willing to drop their façade of culinary superiority for a select few British exports. One of them is lemon curd. (Another is Pimm’s, but that’s another story.)
Eager to feed their fancy, I set about finding the very best that England has to offer. Now, there is plenty of fantastic lemon curd to be had in these parts, even organic and locally-made. But the best lemon curd I’ve ever tasted was my Nan’s, so I dug out her recipe and made some for them. 
Nanny’s recipe, like most, is very simple. I’ve made a few changes over the years, which I hope she won’t mind. Hers called for 3 lemons and I add 1 to make 4. And she used white sugar, which allows that vibrant yellow colour we’ve all come to expect. I don’t have white sugar in the house, opting instead for demerara, so my curd has brown undertones, which I think make it look like spreadable gold. Unrefined sugar also rounds out the flavour a bit, giving it a slight hint of caramel. Finally, I suspected Nan strained her curd (although she claims she didn’t), to make it lovely and pure, but I just don’t bother (see note 3 below).
The result is what I call ‘rustic’ lemon curd. Clearly homemade and all the more delicious for it. It’s wonderful spread on toast, in tarts, gluing together a stack of English pancakes or sandwiched in a lemon sponge cake. Or you can do like me and eat it straight out of the jar by the spoonful. It’s like having a jar of sunshine in your fridge that you can dip into whenever you need a lift. And, if this soggy British so-called ‘summer’ is anything to go by, I’m going to be making a lot more before the season’s out.
A Bite of Britain: Rustic Lemon Curd
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
Description
This rustic lemon curd, made with demerara sugar for a hint of caramel, is a delightful spread with a homemade touch. Perfect for toast, tarts, or straight from the jar.
Ingredients
- 6 oz butter (3/4 cup or 170g)
- 1 lb brown sugar (2 1/4 cups or 450g)
- 4 lemons (zest and juice)
- 4 whole eggs, beaten
Instructions
- Zest the lemons, then juice them, retaining both the zest and the juice.
- In a double boiler, combine the butter, brown sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Heat gently, stirring continuously, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly. Slowly add a small amount of the hot lemon mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly to temper them and prevent curdling.
- Gradually add the tempered eggs back into the double boiler with the rest of the lemon mixture, stirring constantly.
- Continue to cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the curd thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10-15 minutes.
- Once thickened, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before transferring to sterilized jars. Seal and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
If you don’t have a proper double-boiler, use a large saucepan with about 2 inches of boiling water and place a smaller saucepan inside it. The demerara sugar gives the curd a caramel undertone and a golden hue. This curd is wonderful spread on toast, in tarts, or as a filling for cakes. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Condiment
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 17
- Sodium: 45
- Fat: 5
- Carbohydrates: 18
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 1
- Cholesterol: 40
Hi Ruby
I’m in love with lemon curd and your rustic version looks and sounds absolutely amazing, thank you soo much for sharing the recipe!
Will definitely try it very soon :)
– Mia