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Janet

In article >,
lid says...
>
> I quote from Elizabeth David, *An Omelette and a Glass of Wine*, page
> 199:
>
> "ENGLISH LEMON CURD
>
> "To make 1 lb. approximately, ingredients a 2 large lemons,
> preferably thick-skinned; 1/2 lb. loaf sugar; 4 whole large eggs; 1/4
> lb. of unsalted or slightly salted butter.
>
> "Rub sugar lumps on to the peel of the lemons, holding them over a
> bowl, until each lump starts crumbling, then start on another. About
> four lumps will rub sufficient outside peel and oil out of each lemon.
> Put all the sugar together into the bowl.
>
> "Squeeze the lemons, and strain the juice. Whisk the eggs very
> thoroughly with the strained juice.
>
> "Cut the butter into small cubes.
>
> "Set the bowl in, or over, a pan of water. When the sugar has
> dissolved add the eggs, then the butter. Stir until all ingredients
> are amalgamated and the whole mixture looks rather like thick honey,
> with about the same consistency.
>
> (Elizabeth David, An Omelette and a Glass of Wine, page 199.)
>
> The mystery is the "When the sugar has dissoved" bit. Dissolved in
> what? No liquid has been added. A bowl in a pan in or over water
> doesn't get hot enough to melt suger. Am I missing something here or
> did David's editor slip up?

I'd say major banana skin. That stuff about rubbing sugar lumps on
lemon skin is crap too :-)

Here's the recipe I use

6 oz castor sugar
2 lemons
4 large eggs
4 oz unsalted butter, cut up into small cubes.

Scrub the lemons under the hot tap, mop dry, then finely grate off
all their yellow rind and juice them. Get rid of any pips in the juice.

Put the lemon juice, grated rind, cut up butter and sugar in a bowl
and rest it on a spoon sitting in a pan of hot water (half way up the
bowl). The spoon underneath, stops the bowl contents getting too near
the heat source. Let the butter melt and the sugar dissolve. **Don't
get it too hot** or the eggs might scramble when you add them.

Whisk the eggs thoroughly and mix them into the bowl stirring well.
Let the water beneath the bowl simmer very gently while you keep
stirring slowly with a wooden spoon until the curd thickens. Just takes
a few minutes so don't go away... When it will coat the back of the
spoon it's done.

Pour into two clean jars cover and seal. It will thicken more when
cold. Keep it in the fridge where it has a shelf life of two or three
weeks (but you'll have eaten it all long before then).

Janet UK