Slow-Cooker Lemon Curd great on desserts

This lemon curd is delicious spooned over fresh blueberries and sliced pound cake. But if you’re like me you’ll enjoy eating it right off the spoon straight out of the jar. It is a little richer (read more buttery) than my other favorite recipe for lemon curd, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The recipe comes from Slow Cooking for Two by Cynthia Graubart (release date Aug. 1, Gibbs Smith, $19.99).

The lemon confection is prepared in the slow cooker, which all but guarantees the curd won’t break and curdle.

The drawback is having to wait longer to enjoy the curd, about 3 hours plus cooling time, compared to less than an hour plus cooling for traditional curd.

But the results are so luscious, the long wait is worth it.

Slow-Cooker Lemon Curd

3 whole lemons

1 cup granulated sugar

7 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes

2 eggs PLUS 2 egg yolks

Special equipment:

3 ½ -quart or larger slow cooker

4-cup straight-sided bowl

Metal ring from a canning jar lid or round metal cookie cutter

Aluminum foil

Instant read thermometer, optional but recommended

Have the 4-cup, straight-sided bowl

ready.

Add enough hot tap water to the cooking vessel of a slow cooker to fill by 2 inches. Place a metal ring from a canning jar lid or a round metal cookie cutter in the bottom of the slow cooker. Or make a ring using crumpled aluminum foil. (The idea is to ensure the bowl does not come in contact with the bottom of the slow cooker.) Place a lid on the cooker and turn on HIGH.

Meanwhile, using a rasp-style zester such as Microplace or Edgeware, zest the three lemons. Add the zest to the bowl. Juice the lemons, straining out the seeds and pulp. Add the strained juice to the zest in the bowl. Stir in the sugar and butter. Place the bowl in the slow cooker, setting it on the metal ring. Close lid and cook on HIGH, stirring occasionally, until butter melts, about 30 minutes. Carefully remove bowl.

In a small mixing bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks until combined.

Pour through a mesh strainer into the bowl with lemon mixture. Cover bowl tightly with foil and return it to the slow cooker, making sure the bowl sits on the metal ring. Add enough hot tap water to the slow cooker to come halfway up the sides of the bowl. Cover and cook on low for 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring every 45 minutes. Curd is done when it reaches 170 degrees. Carefully remove the bowl from the slow cooker Cool to room temperature. Transfer to a storage container. Curd can be frozen for several months and used straight from the freezer or refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Makes about 2 ½ cups.

Recipe adapted from Slow Cooking Two by Cynthia Graubart (release date Aug. 1, Gibbs Smith, $19.99)