Mourning is a weird thing. It catches you by surprise in the most interesting moments. Last week we had run out of lemon curd. I had bought the lemons to replace it. I'm no stranger to the recipe, but for some reason it was taking longer than normal to set up. I had Devon take charge of it since I had my institute class to attend. He has helped me make it in the past and eats more of it than anyone else in the house, so I felt confidant in letting him take charge. My mistake. He came down and told me he didn't know when it was done and took it off the heat. I said that I would look at it when I was done.
I came up and discovered that it had gone well past the curd stage and was well on its way to cough drop. I was upset over its loss, but Devon was more upset. Oh well. I waited for life to bring me more lemons, but it was not hurrying up so I had to purchase more.
Let me tell you about this lemon curd: years ago when I was visiting my Grandma, my Uncle Armin mentioned that Grandma had been making lemon curd for several weeks and I should try some. I am so glad I did! It was like sunshine in a jar. After I had been home for some time I found myself pining for some sunshine and called my Grandma for the recipe. She happily obliged and I have been making it ever since. I do a triple batch so I only make it twice a year, it freezes beautifully so I always have a jar on hand.
Today I decided to make more curd. I put on the apron my Grandma had bought me forever ago and set to work. As I was zesting the lemons I was overcome with a feeling of nostalgia and heartache. I missed my Grandma so much. I don't know if she particularly liked cooking, but I remember she did a lot of it in her 95-odd years. She understood my love of cooking early on. She sent me a recipe box on my 12th birthday filled with handwritten recipes and plenty of cards waiting to be filled. I still use it.
So here I am making Liz's Sunshine in a Jar, and as the sweet and tangy citrus scent fills the air, I find a little more sunshine in my soul as well. Thank you, Grandma!
Grandma Elizabeth Murphy’s Lemon Curd
Ingredients:
2 Large lemons or 3 med. Use the zest and juice.
3 Eggs or 4 egg yolks
¼ cup melted butter
½ cup sugar
Directions:
Put Lemon zest, juice, eggs, and sugar into a blender and blend until smooth. You can add the melted butter with the other ingredients, or you can melt the butter on the stove in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and pour the blended ingredients into it. In either case, pour everything into a sauce pan and cook over med heat until it thickens, stirring constantly for about 5 min. Take off the heat and let cool a bit. Strain (if you like) into jars or containers. Let cool completely and then cover and refrigerate or freeze.
Notes: if you are just using the yolks, it will decrease the amount by ½. But is a much creamier consistency. If you would like to make a big batch for freezing, I triple the recipe as follows:
9 Lemons
9 eggs
¾ cup melted butter
1 ½ cup sugar
This makes about four 12 oz jars and can be frozen for up to a year. I thaw them overnight in the fridge.
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