As Aleksandr would say - SIMPLES!

Lemon Curd, Lemon Honey, Lemon Butter whatever you like to call it, it is divine.  I have lemon, lime and mandarin trees in my back yard and this year finally discovered the secret of growing nice citrus -  water the trees! Queensland is a harsh place to grow food.  We so often have drought conditions and I have lost so many plants within just a few hours - very frustrating! Anyhow this year we have watered our citrus regularly and hey presto we have fruit (and a big water bill).

It's years since I have made Lemon Curd but it is so easy to make. In fact this was one of the things that got the idea started for me to create this blog.  My friend Nat had been around and I gave her some Lemon Curd to take home.  She thought I was very clever to be able to make something like this but didn't think she could do it.  That prompted a dinner invite and a bit of cooking together in the kitchen and suddenly I didn't seem quite so clever anymore. This really is simple to make. The recipe works well with either lemons or limes, the lime just being a little more tart. It is an easy, cheap and pretty looking gift to give as well for those who might want to whip up homemade gifts or treats.
There are two recipes I have used recently. The first is from an old edition of the Edmonds Cookbook, which was a staple of every home when I was growing up. I couldn't find this recipe in the online edition of Edmonds recipes and I've had my cookbook for decades.  This recipe has more sugar than the other one and it uses the whole egg whereas the second recipe uses half the amount of sugar, a little more butter and only the egg yolks. The colour is a little deeper yellow than the Edmonds recipe.

Edmonds Lemon Honey
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
4 lemons - juice
125gms Butter

1. Grate the yellow part of the Lemon rind of 1 lemon
2. Squeeze the lemons and strain the juice
3. Melt the butter in a pot over a double  boiler
4. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice until sugar is dissolved
5. Add eggs and lemon rind
6. Stir everything until the mixture thickens
7. Pour into sterilised jars
8. Store in the fridge

The second recipe is from Gourmet Traveller Essentials cookbook and makes half the amount of the Edmonds recipe.

Lemon Curd
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup of lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
150g cold butter, cubed


1. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and juice in a double boiler until well combined
2. Continuing to whisk, add cubes of butter, one at a time until melted and smooth
3. Stir until mixture is thick enough to cover the back of a wooden spoon.
4. Remove from heat, add rind and stir well
5. Pour into jars

The recipe says that this will keep for a week but I can guarantee that it will disappear before it goes off!. As Aleksandr would say - "Simples!"