Tags
butter, cook, dessert, lemon curd, meringue, meyer lemon, pavlova
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I don’t think the name “lemon curd” does justice to this rich, buttery custard; it is the perfect blend of velvety sweetness and citrus tang. This time of year, I like to make it with Meyer lemons, a hybrid cross of lemons and oranges that results in a juicier, more flavorful fruit. Lemon curd is a true culinary multi-tasker and can be used as a filling in tarts and cookies or as a topping on ice cream, meringue, or pancakes. A dollop instantly transforms gingerbread or vanilla pound cake. And in the midst of winter, you can’t go wrong with the gift of a bright yellow jar of lemony sunshine.
Meyer Lemon Curd
Makes about 1 3/4 cups
Zest and juice of 3-4 Meyer lemons (can substitute regular lemons if Meyer unavailable),
about 1/2 c. juice and 2 Tbsp. zest
1 c. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. fine salt
6 large egg yolks
1/2 c. cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into tablespoon-size pats
Whisk zest, juice, sugar, salt, and egg yolks in medium saucepan until smooth. Bring to simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk and cook 10-12 minutes more until thickened to a custard-like consistency. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, then whisk in butter a pat or two at a time, until all butter is melted and incorporated into the thick, glossy curd. Store in a wide-mouth pint mason jar or other airtight container; keeps in refrigerator up to two weeks.
Since making lemon curd leaves you with a passel of unused egg whites, it only seems logical to make a pavlova, as I did last week for a dear friend’s Thanksgiving birthday. A pavlova is layers of whipped cream, custard or fruit curd, and meringue; in this case, it’s Meyer lemon curd and a vanilla-scented meringue with a crispy exterior and marshmallow-chewy interior. Consider this post a two-fer. :)
Pavlova Meringue
serves 8-10
4 egg whites
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or real vanilla extract
Preheat oven 300F. Place egg whites and sugar in bowl of electric mixer and mix on highest speed until glossy white and forming stiff peaks (about 5 minutes). It may be slightly grainy, but if you see lots of undissolved sugar, continue whisking until more incorporated. Add vanilla and whisk until thoroughly combined.
Spread the meringue on a parchment-lined baking sheet using a silicon spatula. I try for an oval, but part of pavlova’s charm is its imprecision. Bake the meringue for about 1 hour, until an even pale brown with the beginning of cracks around the edges. (It will crack a bit more while it cools — that’s okay.)
To serve, break off a wedge of completely cooled meringue and layer on a tablespoon or two of lemon curd and a generous spoonful of lightly sweetened whipped cream. (I like 1 c. heavy cream + 1 Tbsp. vanilla sugar or regular granulated sugar, whisked until it holds soft, cloudy peaks.)
Note: Meringues cook best in cooler, dry weather, so if it’s hot and humid, consider a lemon tart instead.
created for joy 
Oh. Yum. Can’t wait to find some excuse to try this whole Pavlova deal. Here are a few questions:
1)Can I get “fine salt” at a regular grocery? If so, what is it called?
2)Any big deal to use my regular salted butter?…and perhaps just leave out the fine salt?
3)If I wanted to serve this at a potluck, instead of fixing individual serving plates as you’ve shown would it work to serve it in one glorious, imprecise, 3-layered presentation that people just scoop off pieces of, or would that quickly get soggy or otherwise be unworkable?
Longish-but-thorough answers:
1) So sorry for the confusion — when I say “fine salt,” I just mean regular salt, as opposed to kosher/coarse. If one can have a default sodium setting, mine is “coarse sea salt,” so I always feel the need to clarify if I’m using otherwise. :)
2) Two reasons why I specify using unsalted butter and then adding salt: first, dairies almost always use lower quality cream in their salted butter, relying on the added salt to mask inferior flavor. If you buy unsalted butter, you get a better quality product. Second and more importantly, because there’s no published standard measure for dairies when it comes to salting butter, you also don’t know how much salt you’re adding to a recipe when using it. When you’re topping a baked potato, that’s no big deal; when you’re making a dessert, it matters. In the case of the lemon curd, I definitely wouldn’t advise it because you’re using a 1/2 cup of butter, and there’s definitely more than 1/4 tsp. salt in a stick of salted butter.
3) Pavlovas work just fine served as a prepared whole instead of individual portions. In fact, I think they’re even more beautiful that way, and it is great fun to pull off your own sticky wedge. Wait to add the curd and cream until just before serving, and as long as it’s being eaten within an hour or so, you should be safe on the sogginess front. There’s no good way to save leftovers once toppings have been added though, so consider it a matter of duty to finish it off quickly. (That’s my favorite kind of duty. ;)
Ha — my default ingredient setting is “po-dunk.” …but you’re gonna make a gourmet cook out of me yet. …even if I do serve the pavlova with root beer and peanuts. ;^o This is great info. Thanks.
I must say that this dessert changed my life! :) Thank you for making it for me on my birthday! I loved the tartness of the meyer lemon curd with the pavlova! :)
Be careful before trying the fresh chewy meringue, you’ll never be satisfied by the lowly marshmallow again. :)
Sorry, lowly marshmallow. We’re moving to a new neighborhood and,…well,…I hate to tell you this, but…I don’t think we’re gonna see each other much any more.