LEMON CURD

A jar of deliciousness with a rustic homemade loaf. A big warm hug in depths of winter.                                       UHG

As we enter the teeth of our grey and soggy winter, the beaming yellow lemons on my tree reminds me that everything is going to be ok; that the sun will shine again…

Lemons, a reason to be bright                       Mans

Shop-bought ones are just not the same    Mans

I love the lemons on my tree; they are not like those perfect ones without pips that you buy at the posh supermarkets. You know the ones that come in a fancy plastic packet that are all the same shape and size, that have a waxy sheen and a disappointing amount of juice. The ones off my tree are grizzled and gnarled, tiny and huge, peppered with pips and pregnant with juice.

During the next few months, I bet you that some South African gardens will be littered with rotting knobbly ones, waiting to be squelched between someone’s unsuspecting toes, while inside the same homes are bowls of boring shop-bought ones displayed on dining room tables. I dare you to own up if that’s you! I promise you won’t get into trouble…

Loads of juice…                                                                                                                                                                         Mans

Try this delicious lemon curd recipe. It even works with the clones, devoid of any character.

What you need

-          - juice of about 5 lemons (about 250ml)

-          - zest of 1 lemon (optional)

-          - 500g of white sugar

-          - 4 or 5 eggs; whisked (depending on size – what happened to small, medium, and large? It’s just large, extra large and jumbo these days. Hmmmm?)

-         - 125g butter

What to do

Chuck all the ingredients into a double boiler on a medium heat. Stir continuously until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Take it off the heat and cool immediately in a bowl of ice (you don’t want scrambled eggs, do you?) For extra smoothness you might want to strain the mixture through a sieve, but only if you want. Bottle in sterilized jars. Store in the fridge and chomp within a couple of weeks. You should get about 2 x 450ml jars of deliciousness. 

Grizzled, gnarled, knobbly and bursting with juice.                                                                                                         Mans

Finally – check out an old blog of mine about my beloved lemon tree. http://theurbanhuntergatherer.blogspot.com/2012/09/living-under-lemon-tree.html. Definitely my most daring one. What was I thinking… what am I thinking now?