Suggestions for baking/cooking class at library

I'll write it up, monj.

I'll write it up, monj.
Thanks Marilyn. I didn't want to add things to your full plate, and thought I remembered a post or 2 where you mentioned the VM method, found it. Do you still follow this "recipe?"
 
This is all so tempting. Do you have a flavour comment on the extra butter version? Is it remarkably better?

Every time I make a lemon curd for something, I recall standing at the stove kicking myself for not making a big bunch.

Anticipating your upcoming class has been a fun adventure for us.
 
Hi monj,

Yes, you're right...here is one post where I discuss the Vitamix version

(by the way, I used ADVANCED SEARCH, put the terms Vitamix, lemon curd in search field and selected my name. This link was in there with a bunch of other curds links.)

However...I now heat the curd to 185 to 190 which seems to makes the cooled result much thicker. What I've done for the past two lessons was to use the frozen yolks I keep in the freezer with Rose Levy Beranbaum's curd recipe with ALL YOLKS. One of the many reasons I love Rose is her recipes include volume AND weights in ounces & grams. So I can easily scale UP her recipes when I know how much I want to make.

This makes just what she says...one 8-oz jar and almost a 4-oz jar...plus I hand a spatula & napkin to my guest to "clean out" of the Vitamix however they choose.

Everything except the butter goes in...I turn the Vitamix up full speed (mine has 3 switches) and let 'er rip. Around 4 minutes you'll see steam coming out the top and the canister will be getting warm. When it's hot, check that temperature....warm is around 155...HOT is usually around 170 and I check it every minute or so after that until it hits the 183+ range. If I'm not making the Pierre Herme's Curd Creme with all that extra butter, I'll add the butter at the end and turn on the Vitamix slow so it doesn't get any hotter.

Have jars in boiling water, remove, dry, fill and let cool before refrigerating.

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This is all so tempting. Do you have a flavour comment on the extra butter version? Is it remarkably better?

Every time I make a lemon curd for something, I recall standing at the stove kicking myself for not making a big bunch.

Anticipating your upcoming class has been a fun adventure for us.
marg, the key thing I remember is how "soft and delicate" the lemony flavor for Pierre's curd creme tasted. Most curd is crisp and tart and tangy, but this version is much softer...geez, I need to find a synonym for soft. But the bonus is...for the same amount of work (and a LOT more butter) you'll get more jars.
 
marg, the key thing I remember is how "soft and delicate" the lemony flavor for Pierre's curd creme tasted. Most curd is crisp and tart and tangy, but this version is much softer...geez, I need to find a synonym for soft. But the bonus is...for the same amount of work (and a LOT more butter) you'll get more jars.
got it. I know.

But the word.....unctuous? I'm going to think about it all night now.
 
maria, I had to do a little sleuthing. I simply pour my hot curd into boiled bottles, seal, cool, and then refrigerate. I have mailed it out to folks and so far no one has died (Hi GayR...please be alive!).

According to the Internet, high-acid foods can safely be preserved without a pressure cooker by using a water bath (lidded or not)...lemon/lime curds fall into this category. However. low-acid foods, like corn, peas, etc--absolutely cannot not. No matter how long the jars are boiled.


I have a sous vide (not sure if you do) and checked with Samin Nosrat's Chez Panisse Sous Vide lemon curd (using Meyer & Eureka lemons). This is a no-work version, but she states it lasts 5 days in the refrigerator and nothing about being shelf/pantry stable. That's because it never gets about 180 degrees. So that's a no in my book for her version.
However I'll probably try this if/when I find $$ Meyer lemons that don't require an organ donation.


This next link talks about canning lemon curd, but the thing I had to research here was whether her term "water bath canner" required a special appliance. It isn't a pressure cooker, but it also does NOT required a sealed pot lid. So simply submerging the jars in boiling water for the required time (read her comments carefully as the timing is important) is sufficient. Leaving the lid off just waste more energy.


RE: Pierre Herme's lemon cream version. That is basically lemon curd with 500% more butter (4 TBL versus 20 TBL). The key there is to make sure the hot lemon/sugar/egg mixture is cooled down to 140 or less BEFORE adding the butter. Otherwise it will not emulsify correctly and the butter will leech to the top. I've used this to stretch out number of jars...and it lasted over 6 months in the refrigerator...bottom shelf, against back wall (coldest spot).
Hummm. I know High acid normally is ok for water bath canning, but it’s the butter I’d think would not be shelf stable. You are brave just sealing and mailing. I’ve never not had mine live in the refrigerator.

This seems to say yes, you can water bath it, but must be stored in the refrigerator.

Canning Lemon Lime Curd.
 
Btw, if I only used the vm to make curd…worth it. Love it so much. I can walk out, pick some lemons, and have finished curd in 5 mins. This has saved me needing a last minute gift more times than I can count and everyone who received it swoons.
 
Another VM perk: keep leftover yolks in the freezer and you ALWAYS have eggs for it. This won't work for stovetop, but the speed works for the frozen version. I sprinkle a little sugar on the broken yolk in the container...and just adding more yolks as they come along. (My scrambled eggs are two whites and one whole egg). Sugar or salt will help protect the cellular structure from icing, so use salt if you're a quiche person, but I always use sugar. This is why using Rose's weight version is perfect...I can cut out exactly the amount of frozen yolks I need....or thaw the entire batch, weight the yolks and scale up her recipe from that ingredients. It works.
 
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