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Lemon Curd Question

post #1 of 14
11/1/07 at 8:25am
Thread Starter 
There are a few lemon curd recipes in my files. One calls for using whole eggs, another for using only egg yolks, and another that asks for X-number of yolks PLUS X-number of whole eggs. Apart from the eggs, the recipes are reasonably similar. So, what taste/texture differences might I expect as a result of using the different egg variations?

Shel
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post #2 of 14
11/1/07 at 5:08pm
I'm a big fan of lemon curd, and would suspect (not know) that the consistency will be lighter with the whites, and thicker with only the yellows. Most of the recipes I have are British, and they sell quite a bit of ready-made curd, much of which is spreadable--thicker rather than lighter, hence I suspect it is made with a higher proportion of yellow (again just a surmise).

HtH.
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post #3 of 14
11/1/07 at 7:08pm
I wold probably use two whole eggs and 1 egg yolk. Just my opinion though.
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post #4 of 14
11/1/07 at 8:06pm
timely post....made a dbl batch today and actually thought it had just yolks....I've got 24 yolks waiting to be made into something, but the lemon curd recipe is:

1 cup butter
3.5 cups sugar
12 eggs
1 cup lemon juice
zest from 4 lemons.

cook until thick in a dbl boiler, stir when you think about it.
seems like you can, can it.....that would be wonderful....
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post #5 of 14
11/1/07 at 11:25pm

Lemon Curd

The one thing I always tell people when you make lemon curd the correct way, its time to get messy! If you not making a mess chances are that you aren't getting enough air incorperated. So get a towel and some cleaning water because there will be some clean-up! :cool:
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post #6 of 14
11/2/07 at 6:33am
air incorporated? my curd is thick like a jam, not light and fluffy.
Though I've taken the curd and made it lighter for fillings by adding whipped cream and alittle white choc or gelitin.

Shel have you canned your curd?
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post #7 of 14
11/2/07 at 6:40am
Thread Starter 
I've not even made it yet, but my friend has "canned" hers (she's put it up in jars, that's called canning, right?) and it's wonderful. It was after tasting her curd that I looked for recipes, saw how easy it is to make, and decided to give it a try sometime soon.

Machrin'a recipe
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post #8 of 14
11/2/07 at 6:43am
Thread Starter 
I've not even made it yet, although my friend, Machrina, has "canned" hers (is canning the same thing as putting up the curd in jars?). Here's the recipe I'll probably use and the one that got me interested in making lemon curd.

http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/recip...emon-curd.html


Shel
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post #9 of 14
11/3/07 at 6:26am
very similar to mine....well at least the same ingredients, just different proportions and different cooking technique....though I love the dump and stir method, it works well.

Marchina's is refrigerated, there should be ways to make it shelf stable, wonder if there is a flavor difference.
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post #10 of 14
11/3/07 at 7:39am
Thread Starter 
What is the "correct" way? I'm new to this and want to do it right?

shel (my kitchen is too neat)
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post #11 of 14
11/3/07 at 7:46am
Thread Starter 
With her busy life and two young boys to raise, she and her husbamd, Michael, are always looking for ways to simplify, hence the method she uses for the curd. Years ago she taught me some tricks to making mac & cheeses in a simpler, faster manner which I'm only now seeing other people use.

I now understand what you mean by canning. There must be a way to make the stuff shelf stable as it's sometimes seen in jars on store shelves, isn't it?

shel
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post #12 of 14
11/3/07 at 10:41am
I'll bet the store-bought stuff has stabilizers. Wouldn't the texture change if you canned it like jam? I'd think the yolks would get clumpy and the translucent curd would become opaque. :confused:
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post #13 of 14
11/5/07 at 4:55am
Shel, actually mine is less trouble as it's done in a dbl boiler and does not need continuous overseeing.

Mezz....my curd is not translucent but thick rich and tartly creamy.
makes great mini bruleed tarts.
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post #14 of 14
11/5/07 at 5:15am
Thread Starter 
Machrina's recipe results in a curd like that. It would make a wonderful "frosting" on my favorite lemon poppy seed loaf.

shel
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