A little Lemon Curd

 

I love Lemon Curd, but most recipes are of the opinion that more is better!

Sometimes you just want a little, a dribble for some crepes, a dollop for some lemon cakes. So here is the recipe for just a little lemon curd. No preserving instructions included, I’m sure you can get through this amount in a day or two.

A little Lemon Curd
Adapted from the Basic lemon Curd recipe at taste.com.au

What you’ll need:
1 large lemon
75 grams Castor Sugar (superfine sugar)
1 large egg
30 grams of butter

How to do it:

1. Choose a saucepan and medium heatproof bowl which fit snuggly together leaving at least 8cm free in the bottom of the saucepan.
2. Fill saucepan with about 5cm of water cover with a lid and bring to the boil over a medium heat.
3. Remove zest from lemon, (I can’t live without my microplane!) and juice.
4. Beat your egg in a separate bowl and then strain to remove any difficult proteins.(you can break the difficult bits up with a spatula by pushing them through the sieve.)
5. In your bowl mix 40mls of the juice and your sugar. Add eggs and stir.
6. Reduce the saucepan to a low simmer and place your bowl on top. Be careful of steam and make sure the bowl does not touch the water!
7. Stir the mixture over the heat until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, this will take about 10-15 minutes depending on what your stovetop’s low simmer is.
8. Take the  bowl from the heat and place on a damp towel to stop the cooking.
9. Stir in your butter and about 1 teaspoon of the grated zest of your lemon (more or less to taste)

   Enjoy warm for a decadent experience or use when cooled and it holds it’s shape better.

 

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A little recipe to start with; Corn, bacon, cheese muffins.

I remember very clearly the day I got given this recipe, our neighbour Paula had come around for a cuppa and she had brought a foil-wrapped plate that smelled like cheese and bacon heaven. It was enough to drag my fourteen year old self away from the basketball (I was obsessed at the time) on the television to hover expectantly at the edge of the kitchen where my Mum and Paula sat sharing cigarettes and tea.

My Mum wasn’t much of a cook (that’s  story for another post really) so baked goods that didn’t smell like they’d been on fire were a novelty.

“Don’t just stand there love,get the butter out of the fridge before these go cold” Paula always called me love, I hated it, but if she was going to bring food over, she could call me the purple people eater and I’d put up with it.

The foil was unwrapped and with the little burst of steam the golden hued muffins seemed to light up the room. (ok, I’m exaggerating a little, but when my mum baked the fire brigade was put on stand-by and these looked amazing!)

We slathered them in cold butter and devoured them and when the plate was finished Paula saw me still hovering.”Canyougivemumtherecipethosewereexcellent”
Paula looked at me, then at my mum, she too had been on the receiving end of burnt goods of doom. “How about I show you how to make them?”

It’s been 18 years since Paula showed me how to make these muffins and I’ve made a few small changes to the recipe along the way, adding corn, reducing the onion etc but now it’s time to send the recipe out into the world where I hope someone else can teach their neighbours kid how to make them.

Corn, Bacon & Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
2 full rashers of bacon, diced (approx 75 grams)
1/2 medium onion, diced (I like to use red onions but whatever’s in the cupboard is fine)
1 Egg, beaten
250ml Milk
20grams Butter, melted
270grams Self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
50 grams Grated cheese
50 grams Corn, drained

Tips: Don’t use muffin liners, these muffins like to stick to paper and so are best cooked in a greased and floured tray. Best eaten straight from the oven.

1. Preheat oven to 220°Celsius
2. Grease and flour a 12 cup muffin tray
3. Fry onion and bacon over a medium heat until onion is translucent. Spread on paper towel to drain off excess fat and cool.
4. In a large bowl mix milk, egg and butter until combined.
5. Add remaining ingredients and mix with a fork until just combined (overbeating will make them tough)
6. Divide mixture into your muffin tray (I’ve never tried it but I’ve heard an ice cream scoop is the ideal portion maker for this.)
7. Bake until golden; 10-15 minutes, test with skewer and check if clean.

Enjoy!

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