Quiet Times at Red Wicket; and Lemon Curd!

Things are quiet here at Red Wicket. After all the rain we had last week, the ground is too wet to till. The chickens are still on vacation while they grow their new feathers, so we are only getting a couple of dozen eggs a day. The most recent broody hen is still sitting on her eggs, which will hatch any day now. I'm chafing a bit at the inactivity; I really want to get the garden tilled and all that lovely garlic planted so we can all enjoy it next year.

In the meantime, I baked a lemon blueberry birthday cake for my husband (at my three-year-old's request.) I laughed as I made it, because it turned out to be a 14-egg recipe by the time I'd made the cake, the icing, blueberry curd and lemon curd, all of which contain multiple eggs.

Here is the recipe for the Lemon Curd. It's the best I've ever tried, and I must have tried seven or eight different recipes by now. And, I'm super picky about lemon. If you don't use it to fill a cake, it is amazing in little tart shells with blueberries or raspberries on top, or spread it on pound cake or gingerbread, or on scones. Make this, and you'll be a hero to lemon lovers everywhere. From the Cook's Illustrated 10 Year Anniversary Cookbook.

Lemon Curd

    1 cup fresh lemon juice from about 6 lemons (I'll admit, I use bottled)
    1 teaspoon powdered unflavored gelatine, like Knox (NOT Jell-O)
    1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (10 1/2 ounces)
    1/8 teaspoon table salt
    4 large eggs
    6 large egg yolks
    8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 1/2-inch cubes and frozen

Measure 1 tablespoon lemon juice into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over top.

Heat remaining lemon juice, sugar, and salt in medium nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot but not boiling. Meanwhile, whisk eggs and yolks in large nonreactive bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot lemon-sugar mixture into eggs, then return mixture to saucepan.

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with heatproof spatula, until mixture registers 170 degrees on instant-read thermometer and is thick enough to leave a trail when spatula is scraped along pan bottom, 4 to 6 minutes. Immediately remove the pan from heat and stir in the gelatin mixture until dissolved. Stir in frozen butter until incorporated. Pour filling through fine-mesh strainer into nonreactive bowl (you should have 3 cups). Cover surface directly with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm enough to spread, at least 4 hours.