Citrusy Lime Curd & a Tale of Woe

ugh!.............. one bite of what I thought was going to be a light, delicious angel food cake was all it took to know exactly what to do .................
.................... into the trash it went! Well actually, since I'm in London visiting my daughter, I'll say it the proper British way - into the rubbish bin it went!  Honestly, I don't think it would have even been worthy of throwing to the ducks in the nearby Thames. It was dense, tough  and flavorless.

I felt a bit guilty as I tossed it away because the recipe had called for ten eggs whites. Ten!!! Eggs are quite pricy here in the UK and I don't like wasting food. But as I was, sadly, cleaning up the kitchen I saw the forlorn looking egg yolks sitting in a bowl and had an "ah ha!" moment: I had gotten a bunch of limes at the market last week and decided to utilize the egg yolks in a lime curd. There was a juicy orange in the fruit bin so I used him too.

Although I've always made curd with the traditional, double-boiler method, I was intrigued by a recipe I saw online: making curd in minutes, super simple .............. in the microwave! Since I had already wasted time making the disastrous cake and had limited time while Lilly was napping, I decided to try this new approach.

I combined the yolks with sugar, zested and juiced a few limes and added a bit of melted butter. In less than fifteen minutes, I had a lovely, velvety, sweet yet tart bowl of Citrus-Lime Curd. I guess you could say, the yolks saved the day!

You don't have to have a cake-disaster like I did in order to make this delightful curd - you'll be shocked at how easily and quickly it comes together. Fruit curds are wonderful spread on English muffins, scones, crumpets and toast. They make fantastic fillings for cakes, pies and tarts, are delicious spooned over fresh berries with a dollop of whipped cream and make a delicious triffle, layered with pound cake and raspberry jam.

............... oh, and you know what? After a spoonful of this yummy stuff, I don't even care anymore that my cake is in the rubbish bin!

Citrusy Lime Curd 

Ingredients:
4 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
zest of 1 lime
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
zest of 1 orange
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
4 tablespoons butter, melted
½ teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a large microwaveable container and whisk together until well blended. Stir in the juices, butter, and salt.

2. Microwave on high, stirring every minute. When curd starts to thicken, coats the back of a spoon, and starts to mound a bit as you stir, it's done. This will take anywhere from 4 to 10 minutes, depending on the strength/power of your microwave.

3. Press the mixture through a fine strainer or sieve, then stir in the lime and orange zest. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and chill.

5. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three weeks, freeze for longer storage.

Yield: 2 cups curd.

Adapted from King Arthur Flour website

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