Don't Underestimate The Power Of Your Blender When Making Lemon Curd

If you've started looking into how to make homemade lemon curd — the custard-like spread made with lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, butter, and egg yolks — then you've probably noticed that most recipes suggest using the stovetop to bring the ingredients together. While this is easy enough to do, it's also important to know your options — including the little-known fact that lemon curd can be made in a blender.

You're probably wondering how that's possible, considering the fact that the stove is the default method because the curd needs to be cooked on medium-low heat and whisked constantly to avoid curdling. Well, as it turns out, the power from a high-speed blender generates enough heat to cook the ingredients through. To use this method, add all the ingredients, minus the butter, and blend for five minutes on the highest speed. Then, reduce the speed to medium and add the butter one cube at a time through the lid opening while continuing to blend. After all the butter is added, blend for 30 more seconds to finish. The only caveat to this method is that it has to be a high-speed blender, specifically. Unfortunately, regular blenders aren't quite powerful enough to cook the ingredients the same way that the stovetop method would.

After you've used your high-speed blender to make homemade lemon curd, you get to decide how you want to enjoy the custardy dessert. It makes for a great spread for scones — classic English scones and blueberry scones are both great options. You can even spread it in between two cake layers, perhaps as a zesty, bright surprise in the middle of a classic vanilla cake. Similarly, it can be used as a cupcake filling, either for a fruity surprise in a classic flavor or, for extra lemony goodness, in a batch of lemon cupcakes. Speaking of filling, you can also spread it between two cookies — maybe shortbread or classic sugar cookies — for a sweet and zesty cookie sandwich.

Lemon curd also works as a tasty addition to certain breakfast dishes. You can spread it over pancakes or waffles before drizzling them with sweet maple syrup. Or, you can use the lemon curd as a filling for our easy crepe recipe, which you can then top with whipped cream for a sweet and decadent treat. But, lemon curd doesn't have to stick to the "sweet" category of foods — it can also be used for savory lunch and dinner dishes. It can be infused into a vinaigrette for your favorite salad or used to make a savory glaze.