Lemon curd

We like lemon curd; that sweet/sour thing it has going on is great mixed into oatmeal, spread on warm biscuits, or dolloped onto blueberry pancakes.

It’s pretty easy to whip up a batch, but won’t last forever in the fridge. Instead of worrying how you’re going to use it all before it goes bad, how about canning it? Yep, never thought of canning lemon curd before, have you? Me neither (the butter and eggs and all that), but the acidity is enough that it can be processed much the same as any other fruit. Now I can make a quart of it, store it off in half-pint jars, and enjoy at my leisure. I like that.

Lemon Curd (from Put ‘Em Up)

• 1 Tbsp lemon zest (I just zested all the lemons I was using)
• 1 cup lemon juice (4-5 decent lemons)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup butter
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt

Mix everything together into a double boiler. Don’t have a double boiler? We don’t either – just put it into a regular saucepan over medium-low (emphasis on low) heat, and be careful with it. (I’m by no means a French chef, so I’m sure there are sauces that truly require its use, but every time I’ve seen a double boiler called for, I’ve substituted a normal pan, and an extra dose of TLC. So far, so good.) Whisk constantly until it thickens up , probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 minutes.

When you’re satisfied, scoop into half-pint jars, and process in boiling water 10 minutes.

That easy.