The Great Lemon Curd Off... that wasn't!

It's the start of Spring; my favourite time of year! The sun starts to shine after a long and cold winter, the flowers start to bloom and people seem happier (must be all the extra Vitamin D!). The start of spring, and the need to wear shorts, also means an end to my winter leg warmers, and I don't mean of the flash dance variety! I had winter scarey, hairy legs.

Now, I knew my legs were a bit rough but when the beautician said to me "what do we have here? A Knee Beard!" I realised I had left it too long. Seriously knee beard?! Why hadn't some one told me I was ZZ 'patella' top? 

Thankfully, now I am knee beard free and ready for springtime fun. Springtime is also about cooking with bright colors, featuring the fresh fruits and berries that come into season. In our yard it's lemons or thistles... I chose lemons.

The Great Lemon Curd Off....that wasn't

I love love love lemon curd. It's sweet, a bit tart and so delicious. You can eat it by the spoonful (my personal favourite), make lemon meringue pie, use it as a cake filling or in a trifle. Traditionally lemon curd is made using a lot of butter and sugar, both on the no go list for me. There are many different curd recipes available; some were grainy due to too much coconut oil, others too watery and not able to hold its shape. I made many but only 1 was the same taste and consistancy as the old sugar/butter curd. 

This was a non-off blog event. Why? Egg yolks don't grow on trees! Each curd uses 4 to 6 eggs so I made them over a longer period of time. Being the dedicated blogger that I am I dutifully ate each curd that I made; and the meringues made from the left over egg whites. 

My favourite curd was a conversion from a Masterchef Lemon Curd recipe. It was my go-to pre sugar reform so it seemed like a logical recipe to convert. The key to the best curd, especially when using coconut oil, which doesn't like high heats, is using a double boiler. Placing a heat proof bowl (preferably a glass bowl) over a saucepan of simmering water allows the curd to thicken slowly without spoiling. It is also important to add the coconut oil one tablespoon at a time. I can't tell you why; I only know that it works so trust me!

You can adjust the tartness of the curd through the amount of lemon zest you add, remembering you can't take the zest out once added so go gently. The curd will thicken some more once in the fridge and needs to be refridgerated once made.

LEMON CURD

Makes 2 cups (500 grams).

Approximately 1388 calories per 500 grams

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup Maple Syrup

Zest of 1 to 2 lemons (start with 1, increase depending on taste)

Juice of 3 lemons (approximately 2/3 cup)

1/2 cup (120 grams) coconut oil (softened slightly)

INSTRUCTIONS

Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, maple syrup, lemon zest and juice in a heat proof bowl until the mixture is well combined.

Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water.

Add the coconut oil 1 spoonful at a time. Whisk after each addition.

Only add the next spoonful once the previous one has combined.

Stir regulary.

This should take approximately 15 minutes. When done the mixture will be thickened and able to coat the back of the spoon.

Cool and place in a glass container. Store in the fridge.