Weather: 25 degrees with snow clouds
What I’m listening to: Never Gone, Colton Dixon
It’s March and it’s about time I posted something springy and green, with St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner. And, since fruit curd is most popularly eaten in the UK and also in Ireland with biscuits or scones, this seemed like a nice green nod to our favorite Irish holiday.
Don’t tell lemon curd but I think I love this Key Lime Curd even more, if that’s possible. Tart and sweet and intensely citrus-flavored. Curd is simple to make – the most difficult thing about it is squeezing the juice out of the tiny little key limes. You’ll want to buy a bag of them, you’ll need probably 8-10 of the cute little buggers. If you have leftovers, I have a couple other fabulous recipes using key limes like Strawberry Key Limeade and my Key Lime Cake.
Key Lime Curd
A bright, tart homemade key lime curd. Adapted from [Williams-Sonoma|http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/coconut-cupcakes-with-lime-curd-filling.html?cm_src=RECIPESEARCH].
Yields: About 1 cup of curd
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup key lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon key lime zest
- 1 tiny drop Wilton Leaf Green food coloring gel (optional)
- 4 tablespoons butter
In a saucepan, whisk together the eggs and sugar until well combined. Whisk in the key lime juice, zest, and gel food coloring (I used the tiniest tip of a toothpick of gel, just to give the curd a subtle green tint. Completely optional. If you don't use, the curd will be a creamy yellow with flecks of green from the zest).
Turn the heat on to medium low and stir the mixture briskly and constantly until warmed through. Add the butter a little at a time until it melts into the mixture and becomes smooth. Continue cooking and stirring until the curd begins to thicken and coat the spoon. Pour the curd through a fine mesh sieve to strain. Pour curd into a jar or other tightly sealed container and refrigerate up to two weeks. Spread onto scones or biscuits or use as a filling for [desserts|http://alaskascratch.wpengine.com/2012/04/28/mini-lemon-meringues/] or donuts.
