Seasoned Advice Asked on April 21, 2021
I prepared a batch of lemon curd using an unfamiliar recipe and it just doesn’t have what I’m looking for in terms of tartness and lemon flavor. I’d hate to waste it, so I’m thinking of zesting and juicing more lemons to add to the prepared curd – but I’m worried this will ruin the emulsion!
Is there a way to salvage this batch and get the tartness I’m after?
For the record, the recipe I’m starting with uses the following ingredients:
Going purely by taste, I’m a good 2-3 juiced lemons away from where I’d prefer to be.
Yes, it is possible to make the curd more tart after the fact! I don’t know all the boundaries but this procedure worked for me with the specific recipe in the question:
Now, most people will not be working off the same recipe I used. I suspect the fact that my recipe already had two egg yolks contributed to its ability to hold the emulsion during this process. I cannot guarantee that this method will work in all circumstances - but unlike with some sauces, this is provably possible to do with lemon curd! And it now has enough tartness to be worth using.
Here's an image to illustrate the texture of the curd after correcting the tartness and cooling back to room temperature:
It achieved the same thickness/texture as the original.
Answered by Air on April 21, 2021
I have used both citric acid (food grade, sold for canning and jam making, not the descaler) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in similar cases when only the acidity of a dish was insufficient. Sometimes lemons are just not sour enough.
The powder comes in very fine texture and can even made finer with a mortar and pestle. A very small amount will go a long way and that’s why it won’t affect the ratios of a dish and a can be stirred into even thick preparations like lemon curd. You can gently warm up your curd so that the butter in it softens, if necessary.
Answered by Stephie on April 21, 2021
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