What do you do when you're mom's co-worker gives you a bag of limes? You cannot make the proverbial lemonade, but you can make this delicious chow-fection! Perfect for filling pies, or even breakfast with toast, this lime curd sure does it all. Did I mention it was easy too. You don't need any fancy equipment, nor do you need to be a very good chef either. If you can follow directions you can make this crud...I mean curd. You don't know how many times I'm going to make that mistake in this blog. This curd has a pudding-like consistency with a light lime flavor. Absolutely deliciouso. So scroll on down so we can get started!
To begin I'm going to separate two yolks and two eggs into a small bowl. Please do not throw those whites away. Every time you waste your whites a whale from Wisconsin wallows. I'm not sure if that made much sense but the alliteration was very satisfying. The point is you can use those whites for macarons, or even a breakfast omelet.
Just for your information these are limes, despite their very lemony persona. Not every citrus can have it's own proverb. Juice a couple of limes until you have about 1/2 cup of liquid. Don't even think about using the stuff from the plastic lime in the back of your fridge. That stuff is unnatural and should be burned. Add an equal amount of sugar, or more, depending on the tartness of your limes. My limes were pretty tart, so I ended up using about 3/4 cup of sugar but you can find all that out in the recipe below. Cut up some butter, and add a pinch of salt.
Yes those are chunks of butter, and not tofu. On a double broiler, which is just a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, whisk all the ingredients constantly until the butter has melted and the mixture begins to thicken up. In the beginning it's going to feel like you're wasting your time. You will be tempted to walk away, DO NOT!
Stay there and keep whisking. You'll look like an idiot, but you'll be a smart one and those are the only types of idiots that are acceptable. After the butter has melted it should only be a couple more minutes until its done. Almost magically it will suddenly firm up, and you will be looking at one of the most beautiful curds in the country.
Take the custard off the heat and taste for flavor. If it's too sweet add some lime zest or juice. If it's too sour add some sugar or butter. Once you are completely satisfied with the taste and texture of your curd, immediately pass it through a metal sieve too ensure you have a smooth, chunkless custard. Odds are there will be some pieces of egg that have scrambled and we don't want that in our final product. But once you do that, you're done! Well almost.
Using proper plastic wrap wrapping technique, which is pressing the plastic to the custard so it does not form a skin, refrigerate the mixture for at least an hour so the flavors meld and it cools off. And addition to the flavor being intensified the curd will thicken up and you'll have one of the most delicious citrus desserts on this side of the desert. You can use this for pies, layering cakes, heck, if no one's watching take a shower in it. I don't judge. But seriously I hope you give this a try. Stay tuned for next week when I show you what I did with this lime curd. Hint: something that rhymes with Trawberry Fime Boatmeal Tares, so stick around for that one. And as always,
Chow!
Recipe
Makes 1 cup of Lime Curd
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup sugar (or 3/4 cup, if using really tart limes)
2 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
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