Indulge in the delectable realm of lemon curd, a culinary masterpiece that tantalizes the taste buds with its vibrant citrus flavor and velvety smooth texture. This versatile delicacy has captured the hearts of dessert enthusiasts worldwide, gracing everything from tarts and pies to scones and pancakes. Whether you're a seasoned baker or just starting your culinary journey, our collection of Martha Stewart lemon curd recipes will guide you in creating this delightful treat. From the classic lemon curd to variations infused with herbs, spices, and even a touch of lavender, these recipes offer a symphony of flavors and textures that will elevate your culinary creations.
Here are our top 13 tried and tested recipes!
LEMON CURD SPREAD
Serve this richly-flavored curd with scones or pound cake, or whip it into our Lemon Mousse.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes
Time 2h15m
Yield Makes 2 1/2 to 3 cups
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- In a medium saucepan, whisk eggs, sugar, and zest to combine. Whisk in lemon juice; add butter.
- Cook lemon mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, 7 to 9 minutes. Immediately pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on surface of curd, and refrigerate until cool, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
LEMON CURD TART
Provided by Ina Garten
Categories dessert
Time 1h35m
Yield 1 (9 or 10-inch) tart
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Mix the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Press the dough into a 10-inch-round or 9-inch-square false-bottom tart pan, making sure that the finished edge is flat. Chill until firm.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil to fit inside the chilled tart and place it, buttered side down, on the pastry. Fill with beans or rice. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, prick the tart all over with the tines of a fork, and bake again for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Remove the zest of the lemons with a vegetable peeler or zester, being careful to avoid the white pith. Squeeze the lemons to make 1/2 cup of juice and set the juice aside. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the sugar and process for 2 to 3 minutes, until the zest is very finely minced. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar and lemon zest. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.
- Pour the mixture into a 2-quart saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. The lemon curd will thicken at about 175 degrees F, or just below a simmer. Remove from the heat.
- Fill the tart shell with warm lemon curd and allow to set at room temperature.
LEMON-CURD TART
The creamy lemon tart recipe takes advantage of peak lemon season.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Pie & Tarts Recipes
Time 4h30m
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- In a small saucepan (off heat), whisk together eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt until smooth; add butter.
- Place pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof flexible spatula, until lemon curd is thickened to the consistency of a loose pudding, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Pour curd through a fine-mesh sieve into cooled crust. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate tart until filling is firm, 2 to 3 hours. Unmold before serving.
WHITE LAYER CAKE WITH LEMON CURD FILLING
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Cake Recipes
Yield Makes two 9-inch cakes
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Butter parchment, and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside.
- Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk and beginning and ending with flour; beat until just combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; set aside.
- In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Do not overbeat. Gently fold a third of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture until combined. Gently fold in remaining whites.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack; peel off parchment. Reinvert cakes, and let them cool completely, top sides up.
- Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cake layers to make level. Place one layer on a serving plate, cut side up. Using a pastry bag fitted with a coupler, pipe frosting around the perimeter. This dam will prevent the lemon curd filling from seeping out. Fill cake with lemon curd. Place other cake layer on top, cut side down. Spread entire cake with frosting, swirling to cover.
HOMEMADE LEMON CURD
This recipe makes a nice thick curd for filling layer cakes.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes
Yield Makes 3 1/3 cups
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Pass the egg yolks through a strainer to remove any traces of white. Combine the yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a heavy saucepan. Whisk the mixture to combine, then switch to a wooden spoon. Stir constantly over medium heat, making sure to stir all the sides and edges of the saucepan for even cooking. Cook until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from heat. Add the butter, one piece at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon to incorporate into a smooth mixture. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator until firm and chilled, at least one hour. May be made one day ahead.
LEMON CURD
This curd can be prepared several days in advance and stored in the refrigerator; use any extra as a spread for your morning toast.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Breakfast & Brunch Recipes
Yield Makes 2 1/2 cups
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Combine yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a small saucepan. Whisk to combine. Set over medium heat, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, making sure to stir sides and bottom of pan. Cook until mixture is thick enough to coat back of wooden spoon, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove saucepan from heat. Add butter, one piece at a time, stirring with the wooden spoon until consistency is smooth.
- Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to avoid a skin from forming; wrap tightly. Let cool; refrigerate until firm and chilled, at least 1 hour.
LEMON CURD FOR DESSERT CREPES
Use this lemon curd recipe as a topping for Dessert Crepes.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Crepe Recipes
Yield Makes 1 1/2 cups
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Combine yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a small saucepan. Whisk to combine. Set over medium heat, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, making sure to stir sides and bottom of pan. Cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the wooden spoon, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Remove saucepan from heat. Add butter, one piece at a time, stirring with the wooden spoon until mixture is smooth.
- Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming; wrap tightly. Let cool; refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. Store, refrigerated in an airtight container, up to 2 days.
EASY LEMON CURD
Tart, creamy and luscious lemon curd can be used on scones, muffins, toast, and so many desserts.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Cookie Recipes
Time 20m
Yield Makes 2 cups
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, zest, and egg yolks; whisk in lemon juice and salt.
- Add butter and place pan over medium-high. Cook, whisking constantly, until butter has melted, mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, and small bubbles form around the edge of pan, about 5 minutes (do not boil).
- Remove pan from heat while continuing to whisk. Pour curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a glass bowl. Press plastic wrap against the surface of curd and refrigerate until cool.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 281 g, Fat 19 g, Protein 3 g
LEMON CURD
In addition to using this curd in other recipes, it is delicious on its own or as a spread for scones or shortbread.
Yield makes 1 1/2 cups
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Combine the yolks, sugar, and lemon zest and juice in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Add the butter, 1 piece at a time, stirring after each addition, until the butter is melted and combined.
- Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto the surface of the lemon curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until firm and thoroughly chilled, at least 1 hour.
MEYER LEMON TART
The Meyer lemon has always been something of a California secret, and every year when its brief growing season begins there, eager cooks sigh with relief. The Meyer is not as assertive as the common supermarket varieties, but it offers so much more in nuanced flavor that it is unforgettable. And these days, the Meyer's secret is finally out. A Meyer lemon contains about four times the sugar of a regular lemon, but it can be used almost interchangeably with the traditional varieties, adding a rounder edge to both sweet and savory dishes. And you can use the whole thing - from pulp to peel. This gorgeous tart is the ideal way to showcase its seductive fragrance and flavor. (Regular lemons will work well in this recipe too, but you'll likely want to add a bit more sugar.)
Provided by Amanda Hesser
Categories dessert
Time 1h
Yield One 10-inch tart
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Make the crust: in the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg yolk and the milk, and beat to combine. In a medium bowl, combine the flour with salt. Slowly add the flour to the butter mixture, stirring until completely blended. Gather dough into two balls. Freeze one for future use, chill the other for at least 1 hour.
- Heavily butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into the pan and trim the edges. Prick the bottom with a fork, and place the shell in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- While shell is in freezer, prepare lemon curd. Grate zest of lemons. Squeeze lemons to extract 1 cup of juice. In a medium nonreactive saucepan, combine juice and zest. Add remaining sugar, butter and salt. Place over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted.
- In bowl of a mixer, combine eggs and egg yolks until blended. Slowly add hot lemon mixture to eggs until blended. Return mixture to saucepan, and place over low heat. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency; do not allow it to boil. Remove from heat, and continue to stir to stop the cooking. Strain lemon curd into a bowl. Adjust sugar to taste; the curd should be tart, but may need additional sugar if the lemons were unripe. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it right against the surface of the curd. Allow to cool.
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove tart shell from freezer, and bake until lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Spoon lemon curd into tart shell, and smooth the top. Bake until filling has puffed around the edges, about 30 minutes. Cover edges with foil, if necessary, to prevent over-browning. Cool to room temperature before serving.
LEMON CURD FOR CANNING
This is nice for a gift. Just be sure to include a note with the shelf life, as it only stores for a few months before it turns dark.
Provided by Violet 2
Categories < 4 Hours
Time 1h15m
Yield 3-4 half pints, 3-4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Wash 4 half-pint canning jars with warm, soapy water. Rinse well; keep hot until ready to fill. Prepare canning lids according to manufacturer's directions.
- Fill boiling water canner with enough water to cover the filled jars by 1 to 2 inches. Use a thermometer to preheat the water to 180°F by the time filled jars are ready to be added.
- Caution: Do not heat the water in the canner to more than 180°F before jars are added. If the water in the canner is too hot when jars are added, the process time will not be long enough. The time it takes for the canner to reach boiling after the jars are added is expected to be 25 to 30 minutes for this product. Process time starts after the water in the canner comes to a full boil over the tops of the jars.
- Combine the sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl, stir to mix, and set aside about 30 minutes. Pre-measure the lemon juice and prepare the chilled butter pieces.
- Heat water in the bottom pan of the double boiler until it boils gently. The water should not boil vigorously or touch the bottom of the top double boiler pan or bowl in which the curd is to be cooked. Steam produced will be sufficient for the cooking process to occur.
- In the top of the double boiler, on the counter top or table, whisk the egg yolks and whole eggs together until thoroughly mixed. Slowly whisk in the sugar and zest, blending until well mixed and smooth. Blend in the lemon juice and then add the butter pieces to the mixture.
- Place the top of the double boiler over boiling water in the bottom pan. Stir gently but continuously with a silicone spatula or cooking spoon, to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a temperature of 170°F Use a food thermometer to monitor the temperature.
- Remove the double boiler pan from the stove and place on a protected surface, such as a dish cloth or towel on the counter top. Continue to stir gently until the curd thickens (about 5 minutes). Strain curd through a mesh strainer into a glass or stainless steel bowl; discard collected zest.
- Fill hot strained curd into the clean, hot half-pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids.
- Process in the prepared boiling water canner using only halfpint or smaller jars,.
- Process 15 minutes (elevation 0-1,000 feet), 20 minutes (1,000-6,000 feet), 25 minutes (above 6,000 feet).
- See http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_02/lemon_curd.html.
- Note: ** Bottled lemon juice is used to standardize acidity. Fresh lemon juice can vary in acidity and is not recommended.
MARTHA STEWART'S CA. 1995 BEST LEMON CURD
When Martha Stewart first published this recipe in her Martha Stewart Living Magazine in 1995, she had an entire article explaining the "where's/how's/and what not to do's" with regards to lemon curd. I had only ever purchased lemon curd prior to this recipe, and wasn't impressed with it. Too thick, too tart and short shelf life for the very high price. THIS recipe changed my mind: soft, teasingly tart, the ability to make it tarter or softer in flavour all had me saying "THIS IS THE WORLD'S BEST LEMON CURD!!!" I've never tried another recipe since, even Martha's "New & Improved" curd recipes, where she seems to have forgotten what she taught us fans of hers, so many years ago. According to the article, the reasons why THIS curd recipe is so superior is the following:1) Beating the egg yolks until rich yellow and then straining the first time creates a smooth, albumen-free base. 2) Cooking the mixture WITHOUT the zest creates a "softer", less bitter curd. Cooked zest just becomes more bitter, even without the white pith. 3) A second straining removes any possibility of "scrambled eggs" from your curd! 4) Adding the chilled butter, cut into pieces, to the eggs does two things: it rapidly cools down the curd so it doesn't continue to cook and also the buttery flavour is not changed by cooking with the yolks! 5) Adding the zest after the curd is cooled creates a smooth, flavourful but not bitter curd! Are these steps too many for some people? Oh, I'm sure of it, especially the straining steps. And some curd recipes have you dump everything together in the pan so that sure makes it simple. However, after 15 years of making this one curd recipe, I've found the little bit of extra time involved in creating it makes for a superiour end product. NOTE: If you do not want a dense, eggy Lemon Curd, use WHOLE EGGS for the recipe, rather than egg yolks. That would be four whole eggs to the six egg yolks.
Provided by The_Swedish_Chef
Categories < 60 Mins
Time 40m
Yield 1 1/2 cups
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Beat the egg yolks until well blended and lemon yellow in colour. Strain the egg yolks through a sieve into a medium-size heavy saucepan. (Sieving removes any shells or albumen; heavy saucpan prevents curdling.).
- Add the sugar and lemon juice, stir to combine, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 10-15 minutes. DO NOT HURRY THE PROCESS OR THE EGGS WILL CURDLE!
- Cook until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and immediately pour through another sieve to catch any "scrambled egg bits". Pour into a heat proof 4 cup measuring cup and stir in the cold butter pieces, which cools down the mixture quickly.
- Add the rind, continue stirring until well-blended.
- Transfer to whatever storage container you want: either a large one or several samll ones.
- Shelf Life: MUST BE REFRIGERATED! Keeps 2 weeks.
- Variations:.
- Lime Curd: substitute lime juice and increase grated lime peel to 2 tablespoons.
- Orange Curd: Use orange juice, decrease sugar to 2/3 cup. 1 tablespoon orange peel.
- Grapefruit Curd: Use grapefruit juice, same sugar and zest as lemon curd.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 1275.4, Fat 77.8, SaturatedFat 44.8, Cholesterol 826.7, Sodium 40.1, Carbohydrate 141.8, Fiber 0.7, Sugar 135.7, Protein 10.7
LEMON-CURD PHYLLO TARTLETS
Quick to make and easy to love, this treat uses store-bought phyllo shells as the vessel for a filling of silky homemade lemon curd.
Provided by Sarah Carey
Time 20m
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place phyllo shells on a baking sheet and brush with egg white. Sprinkle with sugar and bake until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack.
- Spoon or pipe lemon curd into shells. Serve, decorated with blueberries and fresh mint leaves.
Tips:
- Use fresh lemons for the best flavor. The zest and juice of fresh lemons will give your curd a bright, citrusy flavor. If you don't have fresh lemons on hand, you can use bottled lemon juice, but the flavor will be less intense.
- Strain the curd after cooking to remove any lumps. This will give you a smooth, creamy curd. You can use a fine-mesh sieve or a chinois to strain the curd.
- Let the curd cool completely before refrigerating. This will help to prevent the curd from becoming too thick and grainy.
- Store the curd in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze the curd for up to 3 months.
- Use the curd as a filling for tarts, pies, and cakes. You can also spread it on toast, scones, or muffins.
Conclusion:
Martha Stewart's lemon curd is a delicious and versatile recipe that can be used in a variety of ways. With its bright, citrusy flavor and creamy texture, this curd is sure to be a hit with everyone who tries it. So next time you're looking for a special treat, give this recipe a try. You won't be disappointed!
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