Tag: Condiment

Preserved Lemon Curd

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

Preserved Lemons

I didn’t understand how much fun preserving food could be. At it’s heart, it’s about sustenance and security, but for me it’s becoming a way of taking even more control over my food and wrenching every last bit of flavor from it that I can.

Preserved lemons are a magical umami ingredient that I won’t ever be without again.

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Preserved Lemons

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆

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Description

Lemon plus salt plus sugar plus time = magic

Adapted from the recipe by Clara Inés Schuhmacher and J. Kenji López-Alt at SeriousEats.com.

Ingredients

  • Fresh Lemons (or other citrus)
  • Kosher Salt
  • Sugar
  • Extra Lemon Juice
  • Filtered Water

Instructions

  1. Mix salt and sugar to a 2:1 ratio (two parts salt to one part sugar). I usually start with 1/2 cup salt and 1/4 cup of sugar, and mix more if I need it.
  2. Trim the stem end from the lemons and cut the into quarters from top to bottom. Toss the lemons in a portion of the salt-sugar in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.
  3. In a sterilized jar, layer a bit of the salt-sugar into the bottom of the jar. Add a layer of lemon, and top with more salt-sugar. Using a muddler or pickle stick (see notes) to press the lemons together in the jar. Repeat this layering until the jar is almost full.
  4. Top the jar off with the juice-salt-sugar from the bowl. Add more lemon juice or distilled water if necessary to submerge the lemons. Seal the jar with a good lid and leave the jar on the countertop.
  5. Turn the jar daily or as often as you can. The lemons will be ready in as few as two weeks, but only get better with age. Try to wait at least a month.
  6. Move the jars to the fridge and store for up to six months.

Notes

This is less a recipe than a method and is open to serious variations. Some recipes call for a 70/30 ratio of salt to sugar. Spices can also be added (clove and/or cinnamon, for example) to bring other flavors to the party.

You can preserve other citrus this way. Keep in mind, though that fruits like oranges aren't quite as acidic and will need to be reinforced with lemon juice.

Many recipes call for the lemons to be "nearly" quartered, by not cutting all the way through the lemon so that the four pieces remain connected to each other at one end. I'm not sure if this is just a traditional hold over, or a it's intended to make it easier to dole out one lemon's worth of preserves. Whatever the case, I quarter mine completely so that they'll fit better into the jars. I've had no issue doing it this way, and quarters seem to me to be a good measure of to work from when adding this ingredient to my own recipes.

Some recipes call for the jarred lemons to be transferred to the fridge immediately. This method was invented well before refrigeration even existed, so I'm not sure it's really necessary. I can't imagine anything could grow in such a salty acidic environment. I tend to leave mine out on the counter indefinitely. That's up to you. Your mileage may vary. Buyer beware.

A pickle stick (or kraut stick) is used to press cabbage or other vegetables into a crock for fermentation.

  • Prep Time: 24 hours 20 minutes
  • Additional Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 730 hours