When life gives you lemons, screw the lemonade (unless you add some gin). Make some lemon curd.

I had never made lemon curd before, but it was the easiest thing on the planet.

You’re going to see a lot of lemony-freshness coming soon on this blog because my lovely grandpa sent me some lemons from his home in Arizona.

And when your grandpa sends you lemons from his own garden, you really want to make something special with them.

When I get amazing, fresh produce, I always struggle not to just eat it in its pure form. Why mess with perfectly ripe, in season strawberries when you can eat the whole lot on their own?

But not so much with lemons. I struggled internally for a while, debating what to make while these babies were still at the peak of freshness, and finally settled on lemon curd.

And I am so glad I did. As soon as I licked the back of the spoon, I was hooked. I ate about half the pan before I managed to get it into it’s container, and I was not sorry in the slightest.

If you’re not sold on lemon curd, try the homemade stuff. I’ve had store bought, and while it’s good, it can sometimes be a little too lemony. Bordering on artificial. But when you make it yourself, nothing compares.

And once you’ve got the curd, the possibilities are endless. Fold some into fresh whipped cream, spread it on biscuits with some cheese, stir it into ice cream, put some on your pancakes – whatever you do with it, trust me, it won’t last long.

Ingredients: (makes about 1.5 cups of curd)

• 3 large egg yolks
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon’s worth)
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

Directions:

1. Combine yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a small saucepan. Whisk to combine. Set over medium heat, and stir constantly, making sure to stir sides and bottom of pan. Cook until mixture is thick enough to coat back of wooden spoon, 5 to 7 minutes – keep an eye on it, this will happen very quickly.

2. Remove saucepan from heat. Add butter, one piece at a time, stirring until consistency is smooth.

3. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to avoid a skin from forming; wrap tightly. Let cool; refrigerate until firm and chilled, at least 1 hour.