Lemon Curd

Memorial Day is time to stop and remember all those who have given the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the freedom that we enjoy every day.  This weekend I am especially thankful for the dedicated military service of my grandfather, father, father-in-law, husband, brother, brother-in-law, daughter and - most recently - my son.  Did you guess that we are a military family?

Memorial Day is also the official kick off to the outdoor entertaining season and, true to form, we have two barbecues this weekend.  So what's on my agenda for today...

1. Making lemon curd for the Triple Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake that I found on pinterest.
2. Making my mother's (and maybe even my grandmother's) recipe for Sherry Poppy Seed Cake Supreme.
3. Marinating the pork tenderloins for the cookout at our house this weekend.

First up...Lemon Curd

I've never made lemon curd, but had it for the first time at a bakery on the Outer Banks a couple years ago with some gingerbread.  Delicious!  I was surprised to find out that there are only 4 ingredients in Lemon Curd.  Strained Egg Yolks, Sugar, Lemon zest and juice and sugar.

The recipe calls for strained egg yolks.  I wasn't sure how necessary that step was and was tempted to skip it, but since it was the first time I've made this, I decided to follow the recipe (A novelty for me!)

I was glad I did because there were a lot of solids in the yolk that I wouldn't want in the curd.

After a little cooking and stirring, you end up with this beautiful silky lemon curd that just has to have a nice covering of plastic wrap (so it doesn't form a skin) and a little chill time in the fridge.

One project done and ready to turn into the cake for tomorrow!  The recipe for the lemon curd can be found on the Martha Stewart site here:  Martha Stewart's Lemon Curd

Pictures of the finished cake tomorrow.  You can see a preview of it on this site: Triple Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake