Lemon Curd from Karin

Lemon Curd- This is the filling that my sister used in her wedding cake. YUM!!! Best cake ever. It has a Zing! SO GOOD! There are a few recipes that you can make using this curd. Worth a try.

¾ cup sugar
1 Tbsp grated lemon rind
2 large eggs
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)
2 Tbsp butter or stick margarine

Combine the first 3 ingredients in large saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Cook until sugar dissolves and mixture is light in color (about 3 minutes). Stir in lemon juice and butter, cook for 5 minutes or until mixture thinly coats the back of a spoon, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cool. Cover and chill (the mixture with thicken as it cools).

Yield: 1 1/3 cups

Can store in refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can double recipe and freeze half. Thaw and use within 1 week of thawing.


Yield: 16 servings.

Fresh-Fruit Pizza with Lemon Curd

1 (18 oz) pkg refrigerated cookie dough
Cooking spray
2 Tbsp seedless raspberry jam, melted
¾ cup lemon curd
2 cups fresh raspberries
2 cups blackberries
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 plum, sliced
2 tsp sugar ( I’ve left this off before and served without broiling)

1. Preheat over to 350F
2. Press dough into a 12-inch pizza pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350F for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
3. Spread jam over crust. Spread lemon curd over jam. Arrange fruit on top. (If desired preheat broiler. Sprinkle sugar over fruit, broil 3 minutes)
Yield: 12 servings



Roasted Chicken with Lemon Curd

1 (3 ½ lb chicken)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Cooking Spray
½ lemon curd
3 large lemons, halved.
Fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Rinse chicken with cold water, pat dry. Trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat.
3. Combine the rosemary and the next 4 ingredients (rosemary through garlic). Rub mixture under loosened skin, and rub over breast and drumsticks. Lift wing tips up and over back, tuck under chicken.
4. Place the chicken, breast side up, on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Pierce the skin several times with a meat fork. Insert a meat thermometer into the meaty part of thigh, making sure not to touch bone, brush chicken with lemon curd. Arrange lemons around chicken. Bake at 450F for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F (do not remove chicken from the oven), and bake for an additional 1 hour or until thermometer registers 180F. (Cover the chicken loosely with foil if it gets too brown.) Remove the chicken from the oven. Cover the chicken loosely with foil, and let stand for 10 minutes. Discard skin. Serve with lemon halves, and garnish with rosemary if desired.

Yield: 5 servings (3 oz chicken and 1 lemon half).


Lemon Swirled Cheesecake

If your spring form pan is made of dark metal, cook the cheesecake 5 to 10 minutes less.

Crust:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
1 Tbsp ice water
Cooking spray

Filling:
2 (8 oz) blocks fat free cream cheese softened
2 (8 oz) blocks 1/3 less fat cream cheese softened
1 ¾ cup sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp grate lemon rind
2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
5 large eggs
1 cup lemon curd

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. To prepare the crust, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Place 2/3 cup flour and 2 Tbsp sugar in a food processor, pulse 2 times or until combined. Add chilled butter, pulse 6 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor on, slowly pour ice water through food chute, processing just until blended (do not allow dough to form a ball). Firmly press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes, cool on a wire rack.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 325F.
4. To prepare the filling, beat cheeses at high speed of a mixer until smooth. Add 1 and ¾ cups sugar and the next 4 ingredients (1 ¾ cup sugar through salt), beat well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating will after each addition.
5. Pour the cheese mixture into prepared pan. Spoon mounds of lemon curd over filling, and swirl together using the tip of a knife. Bake at 325F for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cheesecake is almost set. Remove cheesecake from oven, and cool to room temperature. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours.
Yield: 16 servings.