Lemon and Elderflower Curd

Small bowl with curd, open, jar, half a lemon and elderflowers and their leaves.

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Put your elderflower cordial to good use and make this delicious lemon and elderflower curd today. Easy to make with only handful of ingredients, super versatile and pretty much life changing!

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine British, International

Keyword lemon and elderflower curd

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings 1 tablespoon servings

Calories 51kcal

Author Jo Allison

Equipment

Ingredients

100 ml elderflower cordial homemade or shop bough
zest of 1-2 lemon see instructions below
2-6 tablespoon lemon juice see instructions below
20 g caster or granulated sugar (optional) see instructions below
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk save egg white for something else
100 g block butter (salted or unsalted) I use Flora Plant but any butter can be used

Instructions

Prepare your ingredients by cutting butter into small chunks, whisking the eggs and egg yolk together and juicing and zesting the lemons.
zest of 1-2 lemon, 2 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, 100 g block butter (salted or unsalted), 2-6 tablespoon lemon juice
In a small pan, mix together elderflower cordial, lemon zest and juice. Taste and add more zest and lemon juice if required and adjust sweetness with sugar (if needed).
To choose the right lemon to elderflower ration for you I would suggest starting with zest of one lemon + 2 tablespoon of lemon juice and mixing that in a bowl with 100ml elderflower cordial.
Have a little taste and adjust from there - perhaps add zest of another lemon, more lemon juice to make it tangier and sharper or a touch of sugar to make it sweeter. Once you're happy with the flavour combination of lemon to elderflower you can proceed with recipe.
***Quick Tip*** Adjust the flavour with lemon or sugar but do not increase the amount of elderflower cordial. Also don't use more than 6 tablespoon of lemon juice.
My Quantities - I used zest of 2 lemons + 5 tablespoon lemon juice + extra 20g of sugar on top of 100 ml elderflower cordial. More tangy than floral version for me.
100 ml elderflower cordial, zest of 1-2 lemon, 2-6 tablespoon lemon juice, 20 g caster or granulated sugar (optional)
Once you're happy with the flavour add butter and whisked eggs.
2 large eggs, 100 g block butter (salted or unsalted), 1 large egg yolk
Place the pan over a low heat or alternatively in a heatproof bowl placed over a pan with simmering water (bain-marie/double boiler method). Make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
Keep stirring all ingredients continuously until butter has melted and you get uniform mixture. I highly recommend using balloon whisk here.
From that point on continue whisking for about 10 minutes (it will be slightly longer if using bain-marie method) until curd starts to thicken.
The best indicator that your elderflower curd is ready is that it should coat the back of the spoon and not spread when you draw a line with your finger.
***Quick Tip*** Make sure to take the pan off the heat as you check for doneness.
Once ready, pour the curd into hot, sterilised jars, seal with the lids and let them cool on the counter before storing in the fridge.

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate, per 1 tablespoon serving based on 23 servings and should be treated as a rough guideline only.
If you store lemon and elderflower curd in sterilised jars in the fridge, it should last good couple of months or even longer. However, once opened, use within 1-2 weeks.
Freezer friendly.

TIPS:

Make sure to whisk the curd continuously over low heat or you'll get scrambled eggs.

If you're worried about making it in a pan, try bain-marie method instead where you use heatproof bowl set over a pan with gently simmering water (water cannot touch the bottom of the bowl).

There is no need to sterilise jars if you intend to use the curd immediately, perhaps as a cake filling etc. It will keep in a clean container for up to 2 weeks.

Do adjust the flavour to your liking before you start cooking so that you're 100% happy with the result - see Lemon to elderflower ratio tips ☝️.

Don't forget the curd will thicken more once it cools down. Use the back of the spoon trick to check its doneness.

Nutrition