Key Lime Curd - Everyday Annie

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may know that citrus items haven’t always been high up on the list of foods I enjoy, and citrus curds are darn near the bottom. However, this key lime curd may have just converted me. I originally made it for use in a cupcake (more about that tomorrow). I ended up making far more than I actually needed for the cupcakes and was completely surprised when I found myself returning to the bowl to take just one more little taste…well, a lot of times.

If you already knew you liked citrus curds, then it’s not news to you that you can do so much with them – fill tartlets, top scones or muffins, stir into yogurt, fill layer cakes, or layer into trifles. I’m sure there are plenty more uses that I haven’t even thought of. I’ve made citrus curds quite a few times before and this is the best recipe I’ve tried, both in flavor and in ease of preparation. So, whip up a batch today and tomorrow I’ll share a wonderful cupcake recipe to help use it up!

Yield about 1¼ cups

Ingredients

3 large eggs
¾ cups sugar
¼ cup freshly squeezed key lime juice*
4 tbsp. (2 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces

Directions

01
In a non-reactive saucepan, combine the eggs and sugar. Whisk together until well blended. Whisk in the key lime juice. Place the pan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring or whisking constantly, until the mixture is warmed through. Be careful not to heat the mixture too quickly to avoid curdling the eggs. Whisk in the butter a little bit at a time, stirring in each addition until completely incorporated before adding more. Continue to cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the mixture thickens and a spoon or spatula leaves a path when drawn through it (no higher than 175˚ F on an instant-read thermometer.) Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. (This keeps up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.)
02
*This can certainly be made with regular old limes if you can’t find key limes, as well as other types of citrus – lemon, orange, etc.

Source

slightly adapted from Williams Sonoma