Lemon Curd

It's no surprise that i love cooking shows & luckily the Houseboy is happy to watch them. One of our current favourites is Heston Blumenthal's show which is great despite the fact he's completely bonkers. His wacky enthusiasm does give me inspiring ideas - not quite to his madcap scale but it has given me lots of ideas about pairing flavours & textures, my next book purchase will definitely be The Flavour Thesaurus for this very reason. A Salted Caramel Tart will be one of this first things i bake - i love things which are both salty & sweet. Heston love a gadget but I have to say the most dangerous kitchen item i have lurking around is a blow torch (i never ever tell the Houseboy i'm about to use it otherwise he gets really nervous) I would love to have lots of gadgets & pointless but fun things like a melon baller or a little thingy that makes butter curls but unfortunately our wee kitchen is so over loaded that there is a current ban on buying anything new. That will last approximately until i next walk past a kitchen shop.

With my recent promise to myself to do more creative things in twenty twelve i have written a list of things to do & achieve. Firstly a weekend photography course, secondly to make cushions using the beautiful tweed fabric Mrs Rhodes gave me for Christmas, thirdly - actually do something with all the vintage scarves i have collected & fourthly cook a list of dishes that i have been putting off or ages which includes: Marshmallows, Chocolate Truffles, Eccles Cakes, Border Tart & Cornish Pasties. I'm exceedingly good at starting things & not particularly good at finishing things but i am going to endeavour to change that. Hopeful yet realistic on that one...

After making this Nigel Slater recipe i will never buy Lemon Curd again, it's just too easy to make & so delicious. It's ridiculously good on toast, amazing with Meringues & Cream, great as a Lemon Tart filling & fantastic when you just stick your finger in the jar. You can also substitute the lemons for either oranges or limes.

Ingredients:

Makes two jars.

• zest & juice of 4 unwaxed lemons
• 100g butter
• 200g sugar
• 3 eggs & 1 extra egg yolk

Method:

Put the lemon zest, lemon juice, the sugar & butter into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water - making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir with a whisk from time to time until the butter has melted. 

Mix the eggs & the egg yolk lightly with a fork then stir into the lemon mixture. Let the curd cook stirring regularly for about ten minutes until it's thick & custard-like. It should feel heavy on the whisk. 

Remove from the heat & stir occasionally as it cools. Pour into spotlessly clean jars & seal. This will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge.