Make Lemon Curd!
Seriously folks, that stuff is amazing. It's relatively quick and easy to make, and you can make all sorts of things a little more fancy with your efforts!
My mom and I are catering a wedding and I am making the cake. I spent all day yesterday making layer upon layer of white cake. In order for the cake to be white instead of a yellow color one must use only the whites of the eggs rather than a whole egg. After making 11 layers and 17 cake mixes (don't worry, it doesn't even taste like it came from a box...) worth of cakes I had 68 egg yolks to use in something else.
Here is where I wish I was better about taking pictures of the projects I do. My mom is endlessly telling me I need to, but I am always so caught up in the process of making deliciousness happen that I don't take pictures! People, I need to buckle don't and snap some next time.
Anywho... my mom had the brilliant idea of making lemon curd! We don't have any fresh lemons in the house, so I used bottled lemon, but it turned out really well and it was actually worth the time and effort to end up with about 10 cups of lemon curd in the freezer. *happy face*
I had used the recipe from the America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book in the past to make lemon curd, but it also calls for whole eggs, and I didn't want to use even more eggs than I already had. I found an Alton Brown (I love almost all his stuff) recipe that only used yolks, but it used more sugar and butter than I wanted to use. So, I mixed the recipes together and came up with something I really liked. Now, I will share it with you.
Lemon Curd Yields 1-2 cups
1/2 c. Lemon Juice
2/3 c. White Sugar
Pinch of Salt
5 Egg Yolks
1/4 c. Cold Butter cut into 4 pieces (1/2 a stick)
In a sauce pan combine lemon juice, sugar and salt. Over medium heat bring to a simmer. While the mixture is heating up whisk the egg yolks until well combined and slightly lightened in color. Once the sugar has dissolved and the lemon mixture is simmering, carefully and slowly pour it into the egg yolks while whisking to temper the yolks. Once fully combined pour the egg mixture back into the pan and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add the butter one piece at a time, whisking until it is melted. Carefully strain the curd to make sure there are no egg lumps and cover with plastic wrap against the surface until cool. Enjoy!
My Notes:
1. If using fresh lemons, zest them first and add zest in the first step.
2. I put my egg yolk bowl on a wet towel so I did not have to hold it while I whisked the hot mixture into the eggs.
3. If making more than one recipe, add 2-3 pieces or butter at one time.
