Perfect Lemon Curd

I haven't made Lemon Curd yet, but I'm puzzled by comments about the cooked eggs. To keep the eggs from cooking, just mix the butter and sugar together, creaming them just as you would when making a cake. Then add the eggs, one at a time, and mix each one in real well. Then add the lemon juice and zest. Then heat in pan. The eggs will not cook!

I read a lot of reviews with concerns about 'scrambled eggs' which is common when eggs are cooked too quickly. As a pastry chef I always temper the eggs. Here's how to do it: Combine the juice and zest in a double boiler and heat until hot, not boiling. If you don't have a double boiler, a metal bowl atop a saucepan filled with water works just fine, just make sure it's stable. Have the eggs in a separate bowl, and mix in the sugar just before adding the juice. When the juice is hot, SLOWLY pour some over the eggs and sugar while whisking. This may take two people, but a towel under the egg bowl will help it from moving around. You don't have to pour all the juice, just enough to make the egg mixture the same temperature as the juice. Pour the egg mixture back into the juice over a strainer. This will get rid of any eggs that may have curdled. Then cook over medium-low heat until thick enough to hold the marks from the whisk. Finally remove the curd from the heat and add the butter a little at a time, stirring to help it melt. I hope this helps anyone concerned about curdling eggs!

This is a pretty classic lemon curd, although some recipes would add more butter and use only egg yolks (no whites). The operative word in the directions is SLOWLY. It should take your curd about 15-20 minutes to SLOWLY heat and thicken. This needs to be sitrred very frequently for the first 10-15 minutes and then almost constantly as it begins to thicken to prevent burning. Cooking it this way, you'll have no problems. Cooked egg is a sign that your heat was too high and you weren't stirring enough. If you're nervous about it, I suggest cooking over a double boiler on medium (not high!) heat. This is not a recipe you want to walk away from as it's cooking. Good, clean, classic flavor, though.