Active Time

　　20 min

　　Total Time

　　1¼ hr

　　This recipe is the best way to make lemon curd that’s bright, tart, and silky smooth. It requires only pantry staples, calling for nothing beyond lemons (the juice and zest), sugar, butter, and eggs. If you’re a fan of that simple ingredient list, just wait until you meet the method: All you need to do is whisk the ingredients over moderately low heat for about five minutes, until the first bubble appears. Once you’ve let your lemon curd chill—a true test of patience!—it’s ready to be spread over scones or toast, swirled into yogurt, layered onto meringue, dolloped on this brown butter Dutch baby, or incorporated into one of these recipes.

　　This recipe calls for whole eggs (as opposed to just egg yolks). Incorporating egg whites into your lemon curd, along with the yolks, results in a lighter sauce with a brighter lemon flavor. Using egg yolks exclusively would turn out a denser, richer curd with a more pronounced eggy flavor.

　　Worried about turning your curd into lemony scrambled eggs? Make sure to use a heavy-bottomed saucepan for this streamlined recipe and whisk constantly. This is not the time to walk away. Or for a foolproof version, use our step-by-step guide to making lemon curd in a double boiler.

　　If our best lemon curd wins you over, consider branching out. You can make curd from (almost) any fruit, including lime, grapefruit, passionfruit, and more.

　　Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in the January 2001 issue of ‘Gourmet’ and first appeared on Epicurious August 2004.

　　

Ingredients

Makes about 1⅓ cups

　　½ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)

　　2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest

　　½ cup sugar

　　3 large eggs

　　¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into bits

　　

Step 1

Whisk together juice, zest, sugar, and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 6 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Transfer lemon curd to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with plastic wrap, until cold, at least 1 hour.

　　Do Ahead: Curd can be chilled up to 1 week.