Lemon curd

Quite simply this is a simple super easy method for making your own lemon curd. It really is so simple and absolutely delicious, you wont want to buy it again.

I made it and gifted it to 2 friends for christmas in cute little jars, and I think it will definitely make regular appearances at Christmas now that I know how delicious it actually is


To make my version of lemon curd you will need:

250ml fresh lemon juice
Zest of 2 lemons
170g cubed butter at room temperature
6 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
4 level tbsp cornflour
200g caster sugar

• Start by mixing the cornflour and sugar together
• Add in the lemon juice & zest, stir well together
• Crack in all the eggs and the separated yolks
• Place over a ban marie on a low heat, and keep gently                whisking till its thick enough to coat the back of a spoon
• Remove  from the heat and stir in the butter until                        incorporated well.
• Pour into sterilised jars, refrigerate once cool, will keep for      upto a month

Sweet short crust pastry

I thought I would share the recipe for my go to short crust pastry as it is the easiest of all the pastries there are and it works so well for savoury and sweet dishes.

You can easily elevate the flavours wether you're doing sweet or savoury, for example for my sweet short crust for my recent attempts at mince pies, i added in grated orange zest.

For my go to sweet short crust pastry you will need:

175g plain flour
75g  cold unsalted butter
25g icing sugar*
1 medium egg

• Place the butter and flour into a food processor and blitz together until you get a breadcrumb consistency. Alternatively you can rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips if you don't have a food processor

• Stir in the icing sugar, then whisk the egg and add straight it. Use your hands to bring the mixture into a soft dough. If yiu find it's a little dry, you can add a tsp of water.

• Once the dough forms, flatten it out slightly on a lightly floured work surface, and wrap in cling film. Chill the wrapped dough in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before using as required.

* if you are making savoury short crust, use salted butter, leave out the icing sugar and follow the steps in the same way.