Lemon Cheesecake Bagels for Breakfast! (Making your own Meyer Lemon Curd is easy)

by Dorothy Reinhold on August 16, 2010


Print This Post Print This Post Meyer Lemon Curd on Shockingly Delicious

Here’s the latest breakfast infatuation:

1. Split and toast a bagel.
2. Spread hot half bagel with whipped cream cheese (will melt slightly in a good way).
3. Dollop generously with Meyer Lemon Curd that you have made yourself with your own two hands, a few lemons and eggs, some sugar and butter.
4. Take a bite, close your eyes (or allow eyes to roll back in your head, whichever you like), and give thanks to the heavens for lemons.
(Forgive me…little rhyme crept in there. 😀 )

Now, rewind, and let’s get crackin’ on the world’s easiest lemon curd. Lemon curd is a sweet, tart, intensely lemony spreadable conserve that is used on scones, toast, as a filling for tarts, cookies or cakes, and at my house, is eaten while standing at the refrigerator when I think no one is looking. That’s when it is best!  Oh yes, and on bagels for breakfast.

Many recipes call for you to use a double boiler, or to make the curd and then whisk butter into it at the end, or to strain it when done. All those extra steps can really discourage an eager cook. But this easy recipe, which I gleaned from Elinor Klivans in a 1998 Fine Cooking magazine (and also have seen elsewhere on the web, like at the site of darling and clever food blogger and baker Robyn over at Earthbound Chronicles), is the simplest lemon curd I’ve seen. Let’s just call it foolproof lemon curd. I made it four times, and it works like a dream, with no egg curdling, no lumps, and no problems of any kind. That’s my kind of cooking — delicious and problem-free! The hardest part of this recipe was making cute labels for the jars.

This is Klivans’ recipe, but I have reworded a few things for ultimate clarity, and her timing seemed a tad off to me and others, so I fixed that.

Go pick some lemons off your tree; if you have a Meyer Lemon tree, there might still be a few on there. If you don’t, use regular lemons. If you are buying them, try to find organic lemons since you will be using the zest as well as the juice. [Note: this recipe was included in the “Grow Your Own” roundup for August 2010 ]

Here’s a quick visual tutorial, so you can see there is no tricky stuff going on. Have I not also convinced you by my clever yellow highlighting?

Meyer Lemon Curd

First, toss the butter in the bowl

Meyer Lemon Curd

Second, beat the butter up

Meyer Lemon Curd

Next goes in plenty of sugar

Meyer Lemon Curd

Beat up the sugar and butter

Meyer Lemon Curd

Add eggs and yolks

Meyer Lemon Curd

Mix in the eggs and it starts looking like something!

Meyer Lemon Curd

Add lemon juice and it appears curdled. Don’t worry!

Meyer Lemon Curd

Transfer into heavy saucepan (still looks curdled)

Meyer Lemon Curd

Cook and stir, cook and stir. Don’t boil (this began to boil around edges, but wasn’t harmed)

Meyer Lemon Curd

Confirm it is at 170 degrees F with instant-read thermometer

Meyer Lemon Curd

You can also check doneness by tracing a path on spatula or spoon…curd should leave a path

Meyer Lemon Curd

  • 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted organic butter, at room temperatureMeyer Lemon Curd
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks (save whites for another use)
  • 2/3 cup fresh organic Meyer lemon juice (4-5 lemons, depending on size)
  • Grated lemon zest from 1 lemon (about 1 teaspoon)

In bowl of electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar about 2 minutes on medium. While beating, slowly add the eggs and yolks and beat on low for 1 minute. Add lemon juice and beat on low until combined; mixture will look curdled, but don’t worry, it will smooth out as it cooks.

Pour mixture into a medium, heavy saucepan and cook on low until it looks smooth, stirring frequently. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.) Increase the heat slightly to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5-7 minutes. You can check for doneness with an instant-read thermometer (it should read 170°F), and mixture should leave a path on the back of a spoon. Don’t let the mixture boil.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon zest. Pour lemon curd into clean jars, put lids on, and allow curd to cool for 15 minutes on the counter. Then move jars to the refrigerator to finish cooling; the curd will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months. (My observation is you will be lucky to get a week out of it in the refrigerator, because this stuff is so wildly good you will put it on everything! So good luck with a week. I have not yet tested the freezing idea, but will report back when I do.)

Makes about 2 cups.

Variations

For lime curd, substitute fresh lime juice and zest for lemon.

What else to use lemon curd in?

This great, simple recipe for Lemon Whip! It has only two ingredients, and is perfect on fresh berries.

Meyer Lemon Curd

{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }

Katherine Martinelli February 19, 2012 at 11:06 pm

I looooove lemon curd and this is such a great use for it! Thanks again for linking up to my breakfast blog hop! Pinned 🙂

Reply

robyn February 11, 2011 at 5:13 pm

Dorothy these bagels are so enticing! I’ve got a little bit of lemon curd in the fridge and I know just how I’m going to use it. I would never have thought to use lemon curd with a bagel. You are so creative!

Thank you so much for your kind words and the link too.

Reply

Dorothy February 11, 2011 at 5:23 pm

Robyn,
Thanks! If you like that, try the Lemon Cheesecake Breakfast Sandwich, too! A slightly different take on the same idea. https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/lemon-cheesecake-sandwich-breakfast-of-champions/

Reply

Nate @ House of Annie September 7, 2010 at 9:04 pm

I’m so envious of your Meyer lemon tree. We had a friend who generously gave us some of theirs – they make the best…anything!

Good tip on using the thermometer to check when the curd is done.

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girlichef September 7, 2010 at 7:00 am

OH! I love lemon curd…how I wish I could grow citrus in Indiana {sigh}. Perfect on anything =)

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Andrea Meyers September 5, 2010 at 8:05 pm

Oh I love lemon curd and your recipe really is easy enough for anyone to try. I wish we could grow citrus here in Northern VA, but the winters are too cold. Thanks for sharing your recipe with Grow Your Own!

Reply

Dorothy September 13, 2010 at 1:52 pm

Andrea, I guess you’ll have to buy your lemons! 🙂
For readers who would like to see the other dishes in the Grow Your Own project for Aug. 2010, you may go to
http://andreasrecipes.com/2010/09/06/grow-your-own-third-anniversary-roundup/

Reply

Sierra August 24, 2010 at 12:05 pm

Could you process this in a water bath to preserve it? If so, how long do you think it would then last? Longer than 2 months (a la freezing) I’m assuming…I would like to send some to my mom if I make it, and she lives 1,100 miles away. I’d rather not run the risk of sending it without canning it. Thanks in advance!

Reply

Dorothy August 24, 2010 at 8:51 pm

Sierra, yes, I believe you can process this in a water bath. My favorite expert on this is Linda J. Amendt, whose book “175 Best Jams, Jellies, Marmalades & Other Soft Spreads” is authoritative. She has a lemon curd in that book whose instruction you might like to follow for processing. She advises to water bath process, and then store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. She says to process 8-oz. and 4-oz. jars for 15 minutes.

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Sierra August 24, 2010 at 9:19 pm

Thank you! My mom just had brain surgery (she’s fine now!) and I’m sure she’d LOVE it. I’ll actually probably use limes since I have a huge bag of them, but delicious nonetheless! 🙂

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marla {family fresh cooking} August 18, 2010 at 5:06 am

Are you kidding–lemon curd on a bagel. Simply divine & genius. Made with our own two hands, priceless! xo

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My Man's Belly August 17, 2010 at 4:10 pm

So pretty!

Love the step by step directions. The first time I made curd I freaked out when I saw it ‘curdle.’

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Cyndy August 16, 2010 at 7:44 pm

Simply beautiful Dorothy. Your Curd looks incredibly smooth and creamy.

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Nicole Kramer August 16, 2010 at 11:53 am

It just so happens that I have 5-6 meyer lemons hanging off a tree right now. You’re making my mouth water. Thanks for the inspiration! I’ll try to post an update on farmcurious.com later in the week!

Reply

Karen August 16, 2010 at 10:13 am

I have an over-ambitious Meyer lemon tree, so I am always looking for ways to use them up when they’re in season. Will definitely try this when some start to ripen!

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