Why is this Amazingly Delicious Dessert Sauce Called "Lemon Curd?"

It could be worse; it was also called "lemon cheese." This intensely flavored lemon sauce is made with eggs, sugar, lemon, and finished with whole butter. Older versions called for the egg mixture to be cooked fairly well done, and almost to the point of curdling (which I'm sure many did, and were still eaten), and this is where the "curd" word probably came into the picture.

More modern recipes like this one are not nearly as dense, and are wonderful served on a variety of deserts. It's incredible on a warm slice of gingerbread (sorry, that video is still not live yet), drizzled over a bowl of fresh berries, or as a dip with some crispy cookies. There are many versions of this old British sauce. Most call for whole eggs, which makes for a thicker product. This version only uses the egg yolks, and while it's not as thick, I think it has a better taste and texture.

This old-world sauce came to America with the early English settlers, but really grew in popularity when it became one of the darlings of the California Cuisine movement in the 1970's and 80's. Alice Waters, and other chefs at the time, fell in love with this intense and delicious sauce, and it was often made using local Meyer lemons. The Meyer lemon, which had come to California from China, is a cross between a standard lemon and the fragrant mandarin orange. Meyer Lemon Curd is very common on dessert menus all over the Northern California area. This video recipe made for About.com shows just how easy it is to make. So, grab a box of gingersnaps and get busy! Bye the way, real butter is a must! If you try to make this with some kind of margarine, I can no longer consider you a friend. Enjoy.

Click here for the transcript and ingredients.
Lemon Curd in Jars Photo Credit (c) kochtopf