Glossy Lemon Curd (Spoonable or Pourable)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A pastry-kitchen lemon curd built on whole eggs plus extra yolks, cooked gently to 172°F and finished with cold butter off the heat so it sets glossy and never scrambles. Thick enough to spoon over pavlova and cheesecake, and it loosens with a splash of warm cream into a pouring sauce for pound cake, waffles or roasted berries.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest (from about 3 lemons)
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 7 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• 3 tbsp heavy cream or whole milk, warmed
• 1 tbsp limoncello or water, to taste

Instructions

1. Set up before you cook: place a fine-mesh sieve over a clean heatproof bowl, set the cubed cold butter beside the stove, and have a flexible silicone spatula and an instant-read thermometer ready. Curd moves fast at the end and there is no time to hunt for equipment.
2. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips in a medium saucepan (2- to 3-quart, non-reactive stainless steel) for about 30 seconds, until the sugar smells sharply of lemon and looks slightly damp. This releases far more citrus oil than simply stirring the zest in.
3. Add the whole eggs, egg yolks and salt and whisk hard for 45 seconds, until the mixture is smooth, pale and slightly thickened with no streaks of yolk. Whisk in the lemon juice; the mix will look thin and a little foamy, which is normal.
4. Set the pan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with the spatula, scraping the bottom corners and edges of the pan in a figure-eight pattern. Do not walk away and do not let it sit still, or the base will set into scrambled egg.
5. After 6 to 9 minutes the foam will disappear, the color will deepen to a rich yellow, and the curd will thicken enough to coat the spatula and hold a line when you drag a finger through it. Check the temperature: you want 170 to 172°F. Pull the pan off the heat the moment it hits 172°F, and never let it exceed 180°F.
6. Off the heat, add the cold butter a few cubes at a time, stirring until each addition melts before adding more. This takes 2 to 3 minutes total and drops the temperature quickly, stopping the cooking and giving the curd its glossy, satiny body.
7. Pour the curd through the prepared sieve, pressing it through with the spatula. Discard the zest and any bits of cooked egg left behind; this step is what separates silky curd from grainy curd. You should have about 1 3/4 cups.
8. For spoonable curd, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or until cold and set firm enough to hold a peak on a spoon.
9. For a pouring sauce, whisk 3 tablespoons warm cream (and the limoncello or water, if using) into the still-warm strained curd until it flows in a thick ribbon off the spoon. Serve warm over pound cake, waffles or roasted strawberries, or chill and re-loosen with another tablespoon of cream, whisking well before serving.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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