Lemon Curd

For Suzanne :)
Another Gourmet Cookbook recipe and a lovely way to use up extra lemons. Yes, it's tough to winter in Arizona--it's all lemons and pistachios around here.

My friend, Kate H., introduced me to the delicacy of lemon curd one Easter long ago. It's delicious on bread (in place of jam and butter), but it has extra versatility. It can be put in a tart crust and topped with berries for an instant dessert, or even easier, warm it and thin it with a little milk for an easy glaze over angel food cake (a la Rachael Ray).

1 T plus 2 t finely grated lemon zest a reason along to invest in a microplaner
1 c fresh lemon juice 4-5 big lemons
1 1/3 c sugar
4 large eggs
pinch of salt
1 3/4 sticks (14 T) unsalted butter cut into tablespoons

Whisk together zest, juice, sugar, eggs, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Add butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisks and first bubbles appear on surface, about 10 minutes. (If you have small children around, this task may prove impossible. I turned up the heat to hurry the process along and ended up with a bit of fried egg. Not to worry, though, everything comes out smoothly once it goes through the sieve.)

Immediately force curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then refrigerate in an air-tight container until cold.

Enjoy quickly! This makes a lot of lemon curd and it only keeps refrigerated for about a week.