After something cozy to help me ease into winter, I wanted to share a bright, fresh recipe to welcome Spring — even if the season practically announces itself. Spring is that lovely stretch of weather when short sleeves are comfortable by day but a cardigan is handy after dusk. The nights are perfect for sleeping, and you don’t need air conditioning or heating. Flowers are everywhere, and the kitchen starts calling for fresh berries, light baking, and a little self-care like painting your toes (though not while baking).
Though toe-painting is year-round, the berry season still lies a couple of months ahead. Strawberries usually arrive first, around June, and one of the most delightful pairings with strawberries is lemon. Think strawberry lemonade — bright and irresistible.
Lemon curd is a stirred custard that sets through the combination of acid and heat, unlike vanilla custards that rely solely on heat. Acid helps egg proteins bond into a gel-like network that traps water, lemon juice, and sugar. The tighter the protein network, the firmer the curd. Other spoonable custards, like classic crème pâtissière (pastry cream), usually need starch or flour to thicken.
In this recipe, cold butter is stirred in at the end to enrich the flavor, soften the texture, and give the curd a glossy finish. Using cold butter ensures it melts slowly and blends evenly, reducing the risk of separation.
To intensify lemon flavor, use the zest — and don’t just toss it in. Rubbing the zest into the sugar coats each crystal with lemon essential oils, releasing aromatic compounds like limonene and linalool that give the curd its bright citrus character.
Lemon curd is one of the simplest, most versatile ways to bring springtime to your kitchen. Use it in tarts, fill cupcakes, sandwich between sponge layers, or roll it into a Swiss roll. Try it with white chocolate and crumbled meringue, or spoon it over vanilla ice cream with raspberries. There are countless ways to enjoy it — and even more ways to serve it. Below is an easy recipe to make your own zesty lemon curd.
Zippy Zesty Lemon Curd
Christina Marsigliese
Ingredients
- ¾ cup 150 g caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 4 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 tablespoon 56 g cold unsalted butter
Instructions
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Rub the sugar and lemon zest together in a medium heatproof bowl until fragrant. Add the whole eggs, yolks and lemon juice and whisk to combine.
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Place the bowl over a saucepan with simmering water and whisk constantly for 2 minutes.
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Switch to a spoon and stir constantly until the mixture becomes very thick. Strain the curd through a fine sieve, then stir in the cold butter until smooth.
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Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until completely chilled.