Lemon Curd in the Microwave in Under Three Minutes

I never really intended to write a food blog but my curiosity gets the best of me.   I never knew a Kitchen Hack I didn't like.

On the other hand, if I search for this particular food, I find the Microwave version first.  I guess I've just been hiding away from the world too long!

Lemon Curd is an English confection that the closest thing we have in America is the filling for a Lemon Meringue Pie.

But it's much more creamy and silky than that.

It also takes about 1/2 hour of standing by a stove babying it and making sure it does not boil on a medium to low heat.

This cooks in the microwave in under 3 minutes.

Yes.  It took me 2:45 to get it done.

The hardest part is making absolutely certain that your thermometer is reasonably accurate.  Mine was not, and read 10F high, so the Lemon Curd came out a little loose.

Oh, and I made mine in a recycle-able plastic Cottage Cheese container, then poured it into a jelly sized Mason Jar for storage.

Use within a couple weeks - that's why I cut down the recipe in 1/2.

This all hit the web a couple weeks back as a Kitchen Hack, I tried it, and yeah, it works.  It turns a fiddly recipe into something anyone can make in under 10 minutes if you're quick about it.

On a Bagel, English Muffin, or Home Made Crumpet, this stuff can't be beat especially if you have cream cheese to go with it all.    I use this Lemon Curd for Lemon Tarts as well.  If you have a ready made pie shell, just dump the Lemon Curd in, and top with some whipped cream or perhaps prepare a meringue for it.

Oh and of the Variations I have tried - Key Lime or Grapefruit are my personal favorites.

Ingredients for this are 1/2 of my original recipe but I will repeat them here, adjusted for size.

• 1 1/2 Lemons, Zested and Juiced (About a quarter cup juice)
• 3/4 cup (170g) granulated Sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter (2 Ounces, 60g)  - Room Temperature and cut into small pieces

Process

• To a microwave safe bowl, add all your ingredients.
• Stir the ingredients until smooth or run them through a blender.
• Place Microwave Safe bowl in microwave and cook on High for 30 seconds.
• Stir ingredients thoroughly to prevent hot spots.
• Repeat the microwave and stir cycle until the temperature at least reaches 185F (85C).
• The Lemon Curd will begin to noticeably thicken when you reach temperature.
• Again, Do not allow to boil but make sure you hit that magic temperature of 185F/85C.
• Pour the finished product into jars and refrigerate or run through strainer to capture any lemon zest or egg that might cause lumps.

Picture from wikipedia shows how it will look close up and personal!

Lemon Curd courtesy of wikipedia.com