English Lemon Curd Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is lemon curd British? ›

Lemon Curd, the very first and most popular of the fruit curds, originated in England dating back to the early 1800's. The recipe back then was rather literal and not at all how we'd think of Lemon Curd these days. Then there was 'Lemon Cheese' which was used to make lemon tarts.

The basic ingredients are beaten egg yolks, sugar, fruit juice, and zest, which are gently cooked together until thick and then allowed to cool, forming a soft, smooth, flavourful spread. Curd has a thicker texture similar to custard. 'Lemon Curd' is originally English in origin dating back to the early 1800's.

Prepared lemon curd can be frozen for up to 1 year without quality changes when thawed. To thaw, move the container from the freezer to a refrigerator at 40°F or colder for 24 hours before intended use. After thawing, store in the refrigerator in a covered container and consume within 4 weeks.

While curd resembles pudding or custard, the difference lies in the way it's thickened. Custards and puddings rely on cornstarch, milk and cream, while eggs are the primary thickener for curd, making it lighter and brighter.

The English name for curd is "yogurt." In many English-speaking countries, the term "yogurt" is used to refer to the fermented dairy product made from milk using specific bacterial cultures. It has a creamy texture, tangy taste, and is often consumed as a standalone food or used as an ingredient in various recipes.

It's served with scones and bread, or stuffed in cakes, tarts, and pastries. If you don't want to go that route, one of the most common entry points to lemon curd in the U.S. is with lemon bars. A lemon bar is basically lemon curd baked into bar form.

Curd or dahi is called yogurt in the United States. Yogurt is a commercialized product that is made from milk that has been heat-treated to kill live bacteria. Dahi is a traditional yogurt that is made from cow's milk, buffalo milk, or goat milk.

Looking in the recipe books, the earliest mention of the term lemon curd I have found goes back to 1844 in The Lady's Own Cookery Book by the splendidly named Lady Charlotte Campbell Bury.

The word curd is used in Indian English to refer to homemade yogurt, while the term yogurt refers to the pasteurized commercial variety known as heat-treated fermented milk.

If your lemon curd turned green, it likely had a reaction to something metal. Avoid using a copper or aluminum pan as those will react with the lemon juice and cause the discoloration in the lemon curd, and could even cause a slightly metallic aftertaste.

What do you eat lemon curd with? ›

It's so versatile - you can use this curd as a cake filling or topping, you can use it to fill cupcakes and make my lemon cupcakes, serve it with yogurt or on top of ice cream, serve it with fresh berries and crumbled meringue or how about with pancakes or crepes for a light breakfast or brunch?

Slather it on toast or stir it into yogurt. Drizzle it on pancakes, or ice cream, or cheesecake. If you want to get fancy, whip up some heavy cream and fold it into the Lemon Curd for an almost-effortless tart or layer cake filling worthy of a royal afternoon tea.

Sicilian Lemon Curd Deliciously rich and smooth, tangy organic lemon curd. Naturally ripened in the Sicilian sunshine, organic lemons are mixed with organic British free-range eggs and just enough organic butter to create our Sicilian lemon curd.

If you just place all the ingredients in a saucepan without beating the butter and sugar with the eggs first, the curd tends to taste eggy. Add the lemon juice and tablespoons of lemon zest and mix.

Lemon curd's texture is smooth and silky, similar to a very smooth, creamy custard, and thick enough to be spread on scones and other foods. In Britain, lemon curd is also known as "lemon cheese," and other fruit curds are known as "[name of fruit] cheese."

Curd cheese is similar to cottage cheese but it's processed until the texture is smooth and lump-free. Paul Hollywood's Yorkshire curd tart. by Paul Hollywood. Curd tarts were traditionally baked for Whitsuntide, when many Yorkshire villages held feasts and fair days.