Preserved Meyer Lemon Curd

Many store-bought lemon curds lead with sugar. We lead with fruit. We employ our Moroccan Preserved Meyer Lemon Paste—citrus salt-cured and barrel-aged with peppercorns, bay leaf, allspice and cinnamon—to create an aromatic, complex curd, sweetened with honey so the preserved lemon stays front and center.

Yields ~ 1 cup

Need

3 large egg yolks

3 TBS Moroccan Preserved Meyer Lemon Paste

6 TBS honey

1 tsp fresh lemon juice 

2 TBS unsalted butter (room temperature), divided

Do

Combine yolks, Preserved Meyer Lemon Paste, honey and lemon juice in a small glass bowl. Whip the mixture together until fully integrated.

Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat for a moment.

Add the mixture to the warm pan and increase the heat to medium while whisking constantly. Steam should begin to rise from the pan.

Continue whisking until the mixture thickens and you see clean streaks at the bottom of the pan.

Remove the pan from the heat, decrease the heat to low and add half the butter, whisking until the curd is smooth, glossy and has heft. It shouldn't slide off the whisk. Stir in the remaining butter.

If the butter isn't melting quickly enough to fully incorporate, return to low heat while continuing to whisk. The mixture should be just warm enough to melt the butter into the emulsion without cooking the egg.

Using a spatula, transfer the curd to a glass jar and let cool to near room temperature (the curd should be thick enough that you need the spatula to guide it from pan to jar). Transfer to the fridge, loosely covered, and let set completely. Once cold and fully set, seal with the jar lid.

Notes

Spread on toast or warm biscuits. Swirl into yogurt or labneh. Spoon over vanilla ice cream. Use as a filling for tarts or layer cakes.