Preserved Lemon Curd

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I needed a way to get lemon into an ice cream batter and figured that a lemon curd might make the most sense. The preserved lemons we started in February were ready so I figured I’d let them take center stage here (in the spirit of the pickled pineapple ice cream I cooked up a couple weeks ago).

It didn’t disappoint. For this batch I used two different preparations… one was a straightforward lemon, with no spice, and the other was from a small batch that got the addition of cinnamon, clove, and coriander seed. To be honest, I’m guessing at the measure for the lemon mash in the recipe below. In actuality, I used a quarter lemon from each batch. When I make this again, I’ll make sure to update this recipe.

Lemon curd takes a fair bit of effort, sort of like risotto. A minimum of fifteen minutes of solid stirring that’s rewarded with a perfectly luscious lemon treat with a ton of applications.

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Preserved Lemon Curd

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  • Author: Bruce Hartman
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 16 ounces (-ish) 1x

Description

  • Preserved lemon takes regular lemon curd from amazing to the stuff of legends.
  • Adapted from the lemon curd recipe at Sally’s Baking Recipes.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 Large Egg Yolks
  • 2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Zest (about 1 lemon)
  • 1/3 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1/3 cup Preserved Lemon (mashed or pureed)
  • 6 tbsp Butter, cold (cut into 6 pieces)

Instructions

  1. Add egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the top of a double boiler.  Whisk continously while cooking until the mixture becomes thick and has the texture of hollandaise sauce (about 10 minutes, be patient).  If the curd hasn’t thickened any by minute seven, turn up the heat and continue to whisk.
  2. Once the curd comes together, add the mashed preserved lemon and continue to whisk for another minute or so to fully incorporate the mash. Remove from the heat and add the butter one pat at a time while continuing to whisk. The butter will melt slowly, return to the heat if necessary.
  3. Transfer the curd into a jar and seal with a lid. The curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Refrigerate for up to about 10 days.

Notes

  • Do not wash the brine from the preserved lemons.  It replaces the salt in the original recipe.
  • I like to use cold butter so that it very slowly and smoothly melts into the curd.
  • Make this a regular lemon curd by leaving out the preserved lemon mash and adding back a 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
  • I don’t pass this through a strainer because I like the little bits of lemon flesh scattered through the curd.  This was also initially cooked up for an ice cream batter that will be processed in a Ninja Creami.
  • Among other things, I use this curd in my Preserved Lemon and Lavender Ice Cream recipe.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Additional Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: lemon, curd, dessert, lemon curd