For a versatile dessert component anytime, lemon curd is ideal
Although I love just about any kind of pie, lemon meringue will always be my favorite because that’s the one my mother made. Her pie was a special treat for my brother and me on report card days.
No matter the grades (sometimes good, sometimes not so good) there was a beautiful pie — sweet and tart lemon curd sandwiched between a flaky crust and a toasted cloud of meringue — waiting for us.
Lemon curd is a thick custard made from fresh lemons, sugar, eggs, and butter, and it is easy to make. Cornstarch is added when it is used as lemon pie filling.
Lemon curd on hand offers quick-fix desserts, whether layered as cake filling, spooned into small tart crusts, or drizzled over a pound cake. It can be folded into whipped cream for a mousse, added to a cheesecake batter, or swirled on top of that cheesecake. It’s delicious stirred into yogurt or cottage cheese, or spooned over ice cream.
You can buy lemon curd in jars, but you’ll never taste a better version than one made make using fresh ingredients. The curd will stay fresh for about one week in your refrigerator.
If you’re looking for something beyond the usual lemon, look no further than the rest of the citrus family: Meyer lemon, tangerine, grapefruit, lime. Never substitute reconstituted, bottled juice for the real fruit. Fresh juice doesn’t keep long. If you have too much, freeze it in ice cube trays.
This recipe is adapted from Bring It! Tried and True Recipes for Potlucks and Casual Entertaining, by Ali Rosen, Running Press ($25.00).
Sparkling wine is delicious alone, but even better when paired with a delicious dessert. Ferrari Brut sparkling wine from Italy ($24) is fresh with overtones of ripe golden apples and wild flowers on the nose that harmonizes with the Pavlova and the lemon curd.
This story originally published in the Miami Herald.
This story was originally published December 28, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "For a versatile dessert component anytime, lemon curd is ideal."