Lemon Curd

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Add sugar and zest to a bowl, and incorporate the two together with your fingers
2. Next add the whole eggs and the yolks, and then the lemon juice.  Gently combine with a whisk, just until the sugar is dissolved.  Be careful not to whisk too hard as you don’t want to incorporate too much air into the mixture.
3. Heat a pot of water to boiling, then reduce to low to simmer.  Set the bowl with the lemon curd mixture over the pot (double-boiler method), making sure that the bowl is not actually touching the simmering water. If you use a low heat and a decent pot, you can get away with heating directly in the pot, but be very careful not to overheat and cook the eggs.  Either way, use a rubber spatula to continuously stir the lemon curd mixture.
4. Cook to 170F, roughly 10 minutes.  The curd mixture should be thick and pudding-like. Carefully remove the bowl with the curd from the pot of simmering water.
5. Add the butter (if using) and stir until melted.
6. Strain into a bowl.  The curd should now have a smooth, luxurious consistency.
7. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming; place into refrigerator and completely chill before using.