Lemon Curd

Variously called lemon curd, lemon cheese, lemon jelly, and lemon filling, this delicious custard appears at the breakfast table on toast, between the layers of cakes, and on top of lemon squares, a favorite Lowcountry cookie originally made with shortbread. It is a staple of the traditional kitchen here, a favored gift at Christmas. In antebellum days, lemon and orange trees were grown on many of the plantations, with orangeries built to house the frost-sensitive plants in winter.