Lemon Curd Plated

by Eddy Van Damme on May 6, 2013

lemon curd

Lemon, lime or passion fruit curd can easily be turned into delicious desserts which are much appreciated by our customers. Curds made over Bain Marie can be a lengthy process which oftentimes keeps us from making it. The good news is that this formula allows for quick results with unsurpassed smoothness.

Use it for sandwiching petit four, serve with scones, filling for tarts or as shown here as a plated dessert.

 

Assembly:

Prepare curd and pour in frame. Set in refrigerator for one hour and then place in freezer until solid.

Prepare meringue and streusel.

Cut frozen curd quickly into desired size. Place on plate. Allow for defrosting, about 5 minutes.

Decorate with baked meringue, streusel, berries etc.

lemon curd plated dessert

Quick Lime Curd | Quick lemon curd

This recipe is from On Baking (Named in Europe the best professional book of the world) published with permission from Pearson Prentice Hall

 

Yield: 1 lb 4 oz (619 g)

4 oz Lime or lemon juice 120 g
6.5 oz Extra fine granulated sugar 195 g
0.14 oz zest 4 g
  4 oz Eggs 120 g
6 oz Unsalted butter*, very soft 180 g
  1. To use curd as shown in picture use a square frame with approximate size of 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm). Wrap plastic food wrap tightly around frame to create a bottom. Set aside on a baking sheet.
  2. Curd will set properly when made as indicated. Adding one sheet of bloomed gelatin (after cooking process) or one extra egg white (along with whole eggs) may be helpful for plating purpose as this will provide a slightly firmer set.
  3. Bring citrus juice with half of sugar to a boil.
  4. Meanwhile in a bowl whisk eggs with remaining sugar until well combined but not mixed to a thick ribbon.
  5. Temper the egg mixture with a third of boiling above. Pour the tempered mixture into boiling juice and whisk vigorously until boiling and thickened, about a minute. (For large batches increase the boiling time)
  6. Remove from heat and cool on an ice bath to 120°F (50°C)
  7. Add the butter in increments, stirring well with a spatula or add the butter using an immersion blender.
  8. Pour immediately into frame or use in glasses, tart shells etc.

*use high quality butter (82% butterfat) for best results.

 

French Style Meringue

On Baking 3, page 410.

 

  1. Prepare meringue and pipe 1 inch (3 cm) long tubes with a small pastry tip.
  2. Using a spoon or small pastry spatula flatten the tube to create an organic shape.
  3. Sprinkle with unsweetened coconut if desired.
  4. Bake at 225°F (110°C) for about 45 minutes or until crisp. Keep from humidity.

Meringue decorations

 

21 comments on “Lemon Curd Plated

  1. Peter Tham on said:

    Chef Eddy, thats a super cool way of shaping the meringue for decoration…

    As a plated dessert, i would mix some dessicated coconut and/or lime zest into the curd for texture, presentation & flavor… what you think?

  2. Renae Holman Murti on said:

    I usually serve curd, merengue, and fruit parfait style. This is such a sophisticated version. I haven’t baked my merengue in the past and I like the crunch it would provide. Your plating is gorgeous. Thanks for the tip on creating an organic style.

  3. Katerina Kyriazis on said:

    WOW this presentation is so whimsical and eye catching. I’m interested in making this curd recipe and comparing it to my family curd recipe.

  4. Sharyll Crawford on said:

    Baking meringue? Never thought of that but I would love to try it. I remember you torching the pan to remove the curd, I thought it was pretty cool. I LOVE lemon and lime curd ever since the first time I tried it i your class. yUM!!

  5. Rocio Ramirez on said:

    It is very amazing the way that you combine the 3 T in this dessert, and even better the new way to present a meringue.

  6. Andrea Angulo on said:

    It is very neat how you can shape baked meringue in very different ways!- who would have thought to use a spoon although very uniform it gives off a very organic feel.. I like the fruit roll up next to the curd the curd can sometimes be sweet and paring it with the fruit rollup must be a perfect combination.

  7. cynthia smith on said:

    when we made these didn’t know that coconut makes it a good stiff

  8. Twyana Jackson on said:

    It’s amazing the things that can be done with meringue compared to the old way of using meringue. I never made streusel until I took plated desserts. This is something so simple to make and it is an awesome compliment with this curd

  9. Chencia Higgins on said:

    This dessert looks delicious. I have found that when freezing and then thawing a lemon curd, an aftertaste develops that is slightly unpleasant. Have you ever encountered this and what would you do to prevent this?

  10. wonderful decor and great recipe. i wish i can eat most tart tasting desserts.

  11. Herb Lewis on said:

    The liquid center chocolate cake wash good enjoyed it

  12. Amalia posada on said:

    The presentation is wonderful, I think I will try this only with a pineapple lemon curd!

  13. April jones on said:

    This a recipe I would change to a raspberry tea bag because lemon and lime is a strong taste together .

  14. lydia hermandez on said:

    way too sweet for my taste. i like lemon curd, i think it goes well with a cookie or tuille, to balance the tartness and sweetness.

  15. Niah on said:

    I didn’t even know that you could shape meringue into different shapes. Good to know

  16. Scot Snodgrass on said:

    I would have liked to try something like this in class. The lime mousse we did was good but overly sweet.

  17. Margaret Flores on said:

    i love the splash of color in the lemon curd plate. Mouthwatering just looking at the picture! I recently made the fresh raspberry jam in your recipe book. wow, it was amazing! my kids loved it. i froze a bunch, and i just use as needed. Im excited to finally follow my passion for baking. Who knew I’d be taught by a famous Belgium Pastry Chef! Bonus. Tuesdays don’t come fast enough! lol

  18. Thank you for showing us how to elegantly plate a seemingly simple lemon curd. Is it possible to use finely chopped nuts (like pistachio) instead of coconut? I personally enjoy the flavor combination of lemon, blueberry, and basil. Would you recommend using basil oil or extract to add basil flavor to the meringue? If not, I guess striping the piping bag with gel-paste food coloring to give the meringue some color is my creative contribution. Again, thank you.

  19. “Plated dessert | Eddy Van Damme” seriously causes me personally imagine a small amount extra.
    I actually cherished each and every individual part of this blog
    post. Thanks for the post -Consuelo

  20. Margaret Flores on said:

    Hello from Venezuela! These novelas are intense over here! Lol… I cant wait for class to begin in January : ) Happy New Year Chef Eddy! Best wishes, Margaret Flores

  21. Hey, Chef eddy. This is Raymond Estrada. It has been a while and I am coming back to HCC central campus to finish my education in the culinary side. I will be visiting you this fall semester. Later…

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