Simply blend, bag, bath and chill for foolproof, silky, creamy, flavourful Sous Vide Yuzu Lemon Curd to satisfy all your citrus cravings.
Perhaps you're reading Sous Vide Yuzu Lemon Curd and asking yourself -"what's wrong with good old stove-top curd?" Not a damn thing, if you love standing and stirring a pot that may yield a curdled, clumped mess the second your attention wanders!
Making curds sous vide, whether in a jar or bag, is foolproof and yields silky, smooth flavour-packed results every time, using your favourite curd recipe.
Bags or Jars
This recipe can be cooked in a bag or jars. Bags are easy and convenient and I really appreciate them in instances where the cooked item needs to be immediately added to an ice bath after cooking. To minimize waste, I use reusable sous vide safe bags for non-meat items.
I also enjoy cooking in jars, where appropriate. If I am completely honest, it is my preference, especially for recipes that require liquids. More importantly, they help me do my small part for the environment by minimizing waste.
The biggest risk to cooking in glass is breakage - from thermal shock and pressure buildup. To prevent thermal shock, avoid immediate temperature change. I ensure my jars and lids are warm before introducing them to the water bath and cooled before introducing to cold conditions.
To avoid cracks and breakage during cooking, screw the caps on only fingertip tight (a trick picked up from Chef Steps). This allows the air that builds up in submerged jars to escape while cooking, without letting water in.
Zest: Stay or Strain
It's a matter of taste. The batch in the photo above contains the zest, while the batch below was strained of the zest. If you are using the curd in an application where the added texture may distract from the overall experience, then strain. Try to find and use untreated and organic citrus whenever using the zest.
In the batch below, I experimented with adding more butter than one would normally add to a curd and man was it amazing! It resembled a spread with a consistency similar to ganache or silky peanut butter. Perfect for sandwiching between cookies, including macarons.
How To Enjoy Your Curd
Yes, straight from the jar is a definite option! But if that falls outside your realm of what is civilized, then this selection of tarts, cakes, ice cream, ice pops and toppings may tickle your fancy.
Sweet Tip
If you have bubbles on the surface of the curd when transferred to the jar, after blending or before chilling, simply wave a lit torch across the surface of the curd and ZAP, bubbles no more! You'll see it in action in the video below.
Here's a quick video that was part of my #sousvidesista series on Instagram this past weekend. I use a bag for this batch. When using jars, I simply distribute the blended ingredients evenly among jars and cook for an hour.
Ingredients
- 128 grams granulated sugar
- 79 grams lemon and yuzu juce or all lemon juice, if yuzu not available
- 57 grams unsalted butter
- 54 grams egg yolks from 3 large eggs
- 9 grams corn starch
- 0.6 grams sea salt
- 6 grams lemon zest from about 2 large lemons
Instructions
Prepare the water bath:
- Fill a heavy-duty pot or heat-proof container with warm tap water. Attach the immersion cooker and set the temperature to 73.9ºC/165ºF. Cover to speed up heating.
Make the curd:
- Combine all the ingredients, except the zest, using a hand whisk, immersion blender or blender. Pour the mixture into a sous vide safe bag or jars, add the zest and seal partially and add the bag to the heated water bath using the displacement method. If using jars, screw the cap on finger-tip tight, or attach cap and clips. Cook for 45 minutes, up to 1 hour.OR Simply add all the ingredients, including zest, to a sous vide safe bag, seal and cook, as above. You will need to agitate the bag a couple times throughout the cook and blend post cook, in this scenario.
- Prepare an ice bath close to the end of the cook. Once cooked, remove the curd from the water bath and shake the contents. If you prefer a smoother texture, strain off the zest. Place the cooked curd in the prepared ice bath to cool down for about 20 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Best when consumed within 2 weeks.
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