Ina Garten Lemon Curd Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long before lemon curd goes bad? ›

This homemade lemon curd will last in your fridge for 1-2 weeks, but you can also freeze it! You guys know how I love freezing everything. In the freezer, the lemon curd will last at least a few months and the beautiful part is that it only hardens about as much as ice cream, so you can scoop it out as needed.

Cool and store. Store lemon curd in a jar or airtight container, and keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks. You can freeze lemon curd for a month or more, letting it thaw in the fridge before using.

Problem: My Lemon Curd is Too Runny

The curd wasn't cooked long enough to allow the egg to thicken, or not enough butter was added.

Slather it on toast or stir it into yogurt. Drizzle it on pancakes, or ice cream, or cheesecake. If you want to get fancy, whip up some heavy cream and fold it into the Lemon Curd for an almost-effortless tart or layer cake filling worthy of a royal afternoon tea.

If your lemon curd turned green, it likely had a reaction to something metal. Avoid using a copper or aluminum pan as those will react with the lemon juice and cause the discoloration in the lemon curd, and could even cause a slightly metallic aftertaste.

Shelf Life: Prepared lemon curd can be frozen for up to 1 year without quality changes when thawed. To thaw, place container in a refrigerator at 40°F or lower for 24 hours before intended use. After thawing, consume within 4 weeks.

Although lemon curd uses egg yolks and/or egg whites, the final product shouldn't taste eggy. If it does, it may mean that you've overcooked your eggs. In saying that, traditional lemon curd does have a distinct after taste which doesn't sit well with some.

Yogurts are made by conventional manual methods, when stored at 2 - 6 degrees Celsius in the refrigerator, they will be used for 5-7 days. If you put them in the freezer, they can be used for 10-14 days without worrying about the quality.

In a covered, airtight container for up to one week. It doesn't really freeze well. Lemon curd does contain eggs and dairy (butter), so I'd be ok leaving it out for the day if I plan on serving it, but anything overnight definitely would need to be refrigerated.

Dip a spoon into the curd then run your finger over the back of it. If it leaves a clean line in the curd, it's cooked enough and ready to cool. Curd will thicken up more once cooled completely. Spoon into a container, cover and refrigerate.

Can you overcook lemon curd? ›

Your lemon curd could get chunky and grainy if you let it overcook. One thing you should remember while making lemon curd is that you should never let it reach a point where it starts boiling. The ideal temperature for lemon curd is 170 degrees Fahrenheit, and it shouldn't cross that.

If you have your heat too high you will curdle your eggs and have white bits in your curd. If you do, don't worry too much about it, you can still eat it as is, and you won't really notice a difference in the flavor, you just won't have that perfectly smooth texture.

Let us count the ways! As a topping, lemon curd is the perfect complement for everything from scones and pancakes to cheesecake and ice cream. It also works well as a filling — consider using it in crepes, pastries, tarts, or in between cake layers. Of course, we wouldn't judge you if you ate it with a spoon.

If your baking experiments tend to result in disaster, a little jar from the grocery store might be the solution.

Shelf life

For best quality, store in a cool, dark place (away from light). Plan to use canned lemon curd within 3–4 months.

*If liquid gets cloudy, thick or slimy - don't eat. *If yogurt smells or is unusually lumpy - don't eat. *If yogurt has an orange/pinkish colour on top - that's the start of mold - don't eat. *If yogurt has any signs of mold - don't scoop out the mold - the whole container is unsafe.

diacetylactis species are grown together for production of dahi. Dahi has a short shelf life, i.e., about one or two days under ambient conditions and not more than a week under refrigerated conditions (Kamruzzaman et al., 2002) .

Lemon has citric acid, which when paired directly with milk or other dairy products may react and lead to curdling and spoil the texture. Apart from that, consuming the two can trigger acidic reactions and cause severe heartburn and acidity. Lemon is acidic in nature, which can intensify the heat of spicy foods.

Remember that curd will thicken more once cooled. If your cooled curd is not thick enough, you can reheat it to thicken. Put it over a low heat, stirring constantly. Ensure it coats the back of a spoon before taking it off the heat.