Don’t you wish this was your Christmas gift? I can’t wait to open a jar. I want it over pound care with raspberry syrup…. MMMM!!!
Lemon Curd (thanks to The 350 Degree Oven)
- zest of 14 meyer lemons
- 2 cup lemon juice (about 14 lemons)
- 8 whole eggs
- 14 egg yolks (you can use the whites for macaroons)
- 2 tsp salt
- 5 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, melted
- 9 half pint jars, rings, and lids
Soak your citrus in a 4:1 combo of water and vinegar to help remove all that funk and some of the wax that may be on the fruits. Dry with a towel. Using a zester or a microplane, zest each fruit, avoiding the pith as it is bitter and will ruin the flavor. Juice each lime. If you have a double boiler, heat it up. Since I don’t have one, I used a cobbled together version; you can place a metal bowl over a sauce pot. Make sure that the water in the sauce pot is enough not to boil dry but not so much as to allow the water the hit the bottom of the bowl; the idea is to cook with steam.
Before you put the metal bowl over the steam, combine the sugar, whole eggs, egg yolks, salt, and lime zest. Mix thoroughly with a whisk. Place on top of boiling water. Continuing to whisk, add in lemon juice. Whisk whisk whisk until combined, then add the melted butter. Continue whisking the mixture until it reaches 170 degrees F on your candy thermometer. Remove the metal bowl and place on a hot pad or trivet; be careful because the bowl is hot. One ladle at a time, strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the zest and any seeds that might have gotten away.
To can the lemon curd, sterilize the jars, rings, tongs, and ladle in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove the hot jars to a kitchen towel, and fill with hot lemon curd, leaving a 1/2″ head space. While filling the jars, soak the new lids in the hot water. Wipe the rims, top with the lids, and screw the rings down finger tight. Set the filled jars on the rack inside the stock pot. Make sure the water covers the tops of the jars by at least one inch. Turn on the heat, and bring the water up to a boil (covered). Once boiling, let the jars process for 15 minutes.
Carefully remove the jars from the water and place on a dish towel. Allow to cool. As the seal, you will hear that lovely little ping, indicating your hard work has paid off. Use home canned curd within 3-4 months, separation or color changes may occur with longer storage and indicate it might be bad. Makes 9 half pint jars.
AnnaShortcakes 