Medium
2½ cups
Published 2014
VOLUME | WEIGHT | ||
lemon zest, finely grated | . | ||
granulated sugar | |||
unsalted butter (65° to 75°F/19° to 23°C) | |||
lemon juice, freshly squeezed and strained (about |
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fine sea salt | . | . | |
heavy cream, cold |
Have ready a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a medium bowl containing the lemon zest.
In a medium heavy saucepan, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and butter until well blended. Whisk in the lemon juice and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula and scraping down the sides of the pan as needed, until thickened and resembling hollandaise sauce, which thickly coats the spatula but is still liquid enough to pour. The mixture will change from translucent to opaque and begin to take on a yellow color on the spatula. Do not let it come to a boil or it will curdle. Whenever steam appears, remove the pan briefly from the heat, stirring constantly, to keep the mixture from boiling.
When the curd has thickened and will pool thickly when a little is dropped on its surface (an instant-read thermometer should read no higher than 196°F/91°C), pour it at once into the strainer and press it through into the bowl. Stir gently to mix in the zest and let the curd cool for 30 minutes. There will be
Cover tightly and refrigerate, whisking occasionally to prevent the curd from setting, until cooled to room temperature, 20 to 30 minutes.
Into a mixing bowl, pour the cream. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. (Chill a handheld mixer’s beaters alongside the bowl.)
Starting on low speed and gradually raising the speed to medium-high as it thickens, whip the cream just until beater marks begin to show distinctly. Add the lemon curd and whip just until the mixture mounds softly when dropped from a spoon.
The lemon curd will act as a stabilizer, keeping the cream from watering out. It will keep for 6 hours at room temperature, after which it becomes slightly spongy. It will keep for 48 hours refrigerated.
Copyright © 2014 by Cordon Rose, LLC. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.