August 5, 2021

When Life Gives You Lemons

Pucker up! This delicious taste of summer is for all the lemon 🍋 lovers. I’ve started keeping a basket filled with lemons in my kitchen because they are bright and sunny, even on cloudy days.

Visiting California a few years ago, my family stayed at a lovely AirBNB. The property had beautiful fruit and flower gardens adjacent to a backyard patio. Orange and lemon trees were heavy with ripe fruit the week we visited and the owner graciously permitted us to help ourselves. Such a treat!

California lemon tree

California lemon

Susan made a beautiful fruit platter with strawberries and oranges grown in this garden.

Whether you like lemon meringue pie, lemon tarts, lemon bars or lemon ice cream, there's sure to be something lemony to please you. Here’s one of my favorite lemon recipes.

Lemon 🍋 Curd

Ina Gartens Refreshing Lemon Curd

Ingredients:
- 3 lemons

- 1 1/2 cups sugar

- 1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature

- 4 extra-large eggs

- 1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)

- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

How to make:

Step 1: Using a carrot peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.

Step 2: Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.

Step 3: Pour the mixture into a 2-quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at about 170 degrees F, or just below simmer. Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate.

Serve over pound cake with fresh berries. It’s delicious.

Pat Bennett is the founder and President of Pat's Granola, a Cleveland based food and lifestyle company.