Having a lemon tree growing in the garden is the best thing ever. Since we moved house one of the things I miss most is the Meyer lemon tree, it was one of the best we’ve ever had and produced an abundance of beautiful, sweet lemons several times a year.  Luckily up the road at the dairy they sell yummy home grown lemons during the season that are almost as good.

Lemons are so incredibly useful. Of course, we all know how much Vitamin C they contain, and I’m pretty sure every Kiwi has grown up having lemon honey drinks, but did you know that they make great hand and chopping board cleaners? The juice is a natural bleach, so rubbing half a lemon over your hands or chopping boards means you’ll kill any lingering germs.

One of the most delicious things to do with lemons is make lemon curd, I adapted this recipe from the original to make it vegan and it tastes amazing. The finished result is a lovely velvety cream – nothing like curd or cheese. My favourite way to eat lemon curd is on fresh scones, or in a tart topped with berries.

creamy lemon curd ingredients

Creamy Lemon Curd 

3/4 Can coconut cream or 300ml coconut milk

2 Lemons, zest and juice

2 Tbsp tapioca starch

1-2 Tbsp real maple syrup

Put the coconut cream/milk and lemon zest in a small saucepan and whisk to combine.

Get a small mixing bowl and add the lemon juice and tapioca starch, whisk thoroughly until the tapioca has dissolved, then add to the cream mixture and stir.  Then add the maple syrup and whisk again until well combined.

Heat over medium heat until you have a low bubble, being very careful not to boil, whisk often to keep it smooth. It will start to thicken, when that happens reduce the heat and continue cooking until thick and wobbly. You may need to use a spatula to combine the mixture, making sure you get any off the sides of the saucepan.

Take off the heat and do the taste test, if it’s to acidic add a dash more maple syrup and if too sweet add more lemon zest. Once you’re happy with the flavour, let it cool for around 15 minutes then whisk again and put into sterilised jars.

Tips

  • To get the most juice out of a lemon, pour boiling water over the skin five minutes before squeezing.
  • Try to use local, fresh lemons rather than ones that have been waxed prior to export from countries such as the US. You don’t want wax in this recipe.
  • Add the pulp of three passionfruit into the curd when it’s cooked for a delicious taste.

Click here to for Wendyl’s Original Lemon Curd Recipe on Bite NZ 

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