Zesty Lime Curd Recipe from Guest Blogger Marisa McClellan (2024)

16. January 2018

We invited a guest blogger to whip up a zesty recipe just in time for citrus season.Marisa McClellan is a Canning Queen! She's the author of several wonderful canning books, a full-time food writer, and canning teacher. Her website, Food In Jars, has a plethora of information, from canning recipes to product recommendations. If you're new to canning, check out Marisa's Canning 101 resources page.

I consider this lime curd the cheapest vacation possible. For just a few dollars in ingredients and less than an hour of active work, I have a finished product that makes me feel transported to someplace tropical. Truly, after just a few tastes, the air seems to get warmer and I swear I can feel the grit of sand under my feet. Even if you don’t need a beach escape, this curd is worth trying. I like to stir it into yogurt, but if you’re searching for a more elegant application, try spreading it in a baked tart shell for a quick dessert. Top the tart with a ring of fresh raspberries if you really need to impress.

Recipe adapted with permission from Food in Jars © 2012 by Marisa McClellan, Running Press

Zesty Lime Curd (Makes 2 cups)

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Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup finely grated lime zest (from about 4 limes)
• 11/4 cups(250 g) granulated sugar
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup(120 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice (from 4-6 limes)
• 6 tablespoons(85 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Directions:

Combine the lime zest and sugar in a small bowl. Rub the zest into the sugar until it is fragrant and fully combined. Set aside.

Set up a double boiler, add 2 inches/5 cm of water to the bottom pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Alternatively, set a heatproof mixing bowl over a medium saucepan filled with 2 inches/5 cm of water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the surface of the water. Keeping the top half of the double boiler off the stove, add the egg yolks and whole eggs to it and whisk them together. Add the zest and sugar combination and whisk in. Finally, add the lime juice and stir until blended.

Put the double boiler back together and drop in the cubes of butter.

Switch to a rubber or silicone spatula and stir continually as the lime curd begins to cook.

Using a candy thermometer, monitor the temperature of the curd while you stir. As it approaches 190° to 200°F/90° to 95°C, it should start to thicken. One sign of doneness is that it will coat the back of your spoon without running or dripping.

If it is slow to thicken but is approaching 210°F/100°C, remove the top portion of the double boiler and let it cool for a moment before returning to the heat for an additional minute or two of cooking. It rarely needs to go past 190° to 200°F/90° to 95°C to reach a nice thickness. It typically takes 6 to 9 minutes for a curd to cook through.

When the curd has thickened to the consistency of sour cream, it is done. Remove the top half of the double boiler and stir off the heat. During this time, it will continue to thicken a bit.

Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a 4-cup(960 ml) measure. The straining removes both the zest (which will have imparted a great deal of flavor to the curd during cooking time) and any bits of scrambled egg.

While the USDA does say that it’s safe to can curds, I find that I prefer the texture of curds that have been frozen rather than canned. For short term storage, pour the curd into a clean container and refrigerate for up to a week. For longer storage, funnel the curd into four ounce jelly jars, label, and freeze.

Note: If you prefer a curd shot through with flecks of zest, reserve half the zest at the beginning. After the curd is finished cooking and you’ve worked it through the sieve, add the reserved zest to the finished curd and stir to combine. This can be done with any of these curd recipes, but is particularly nice in the lime curd, as the green flecks gives a visual cue that you should expect the flavor of lime.

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