Meyer Lemon Curd With Vanilla Sugar

As I was planning for my Baby Girl’s Birthday, I couldn’t resist but to incorporate something refreshing into the cake.   Here’s a little sneak peek on what went into her birthday cake, and I made some more as party favors for guests to take home.  My latest creation—Meyer Lemon Curd with Vanilla Sugar.  I’ll post the picture of Baby Girl’s birthday cake on my next post, I promise.  But let’s talk about this Meyer Lemon Curd with Vanilla Sugar first.



I have a jar, a huge jar actually, of Vanilla Sugar in my pantry that I have been using for baking.  It’s easy to make the vanilla sugar.  Simply split some vanilla beans in half (length wise), scrape the seeds out and snuggle the pods and the seeds into a jar of regular granulated sugar.  Just make sure the pods are covered by the sugar.  Let it sit for at least a few weeks before using.  The sugar is infused and perfumed by the fragrant and sweet scent of the vanilla beans.  As I used up the vanilla sugar in my baking, I refilled the jar with more sugar and add another vanilla bean every once in a while if necessary.  It’s wonderful and adds a lot more flavor to the baked goods. 



Why did I choose Vanilla Sugar instead of regular sugar in this recipe?  Because I ran out of regular sugar on the day I needed to make the Lemon Curd!  LOL….But what a lovely and tasty mishap!  This Meyer Lemon Curd turned out with another depth of flavor like a little surprise.  It certainly add a layer of sweetness without adding more sugar.  You can even see the little vanilla seed in the curd and it smells wonderful.



Simply spread the curd on a slice of bread and it’s the perfect breakfast or afternoon pick me up.  Here’s a simple white bread recipe that yields the most soft and fluffy loaf of bread if you miss that post from the past.  If you have some Lemons or Meyers Lemons on hand, make some Meyer Lemon Curd with Vanilla Sugar.  You’ll love what you created.

Meyer Lemon Curd with Vanilla Sugar:

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups Vanilla Sugar
Zest of 3 Meyer Lemons
5 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup Meyer lemon juice (around 3 Meyers lemons)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter, vanilla sugar and Meyer lemon zests until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.

In a 2 quart saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until thickened (around 8 to 10 minutes), stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and let cool completely.  Store in air tight containers and refrigerate.
 
*Note: Since Meyer Lemons are not as tart as regular lemons, you might want to add a bit more sugar or cut down on the amount of lemon juice in this recipe if you are using regular lemons.



To make the Vanilla Sugar:

2 vanilla beans
8 cups of sugar
an air tight container

Simply split some vanilla beans in half (length wise), scrape the seeds out and snuggle the pods and the seeds into a jar of regular granulated sugar.  Just make sure the pods are covered by the sugar.  Let it sit for at least a few weeks before using. 

The sugar is infused and perfumed by the fragrant and sweet scent of the vanilla beans.  As I used up the vanilla sugar in my baking, I refilled the jar with more sugar and add another vanilla bean every once in a while if necessary.  It’s wonderful and adds a lot more flavor to the baked goods.