Lemon Curd

There are many recipes for lemon curd in the Instant Pot. They garner the same complaint: They look curdled. Or are curdled. The problem is that the delicate curd cannot be cooked directly against the hot bottom of the pot. Once again, the PIP (pot-in-pot) method for the win! One important note: The curd ingredients must be at room temperature before cooking. If you keep bottled lemon juice (or fresh lemons) in the fridge, the juice must be at room temperature, not cool to the touch. The same goes for the eggs: You can either submerge six eggs in room-temperature water for 10 minutes or leave them on the counter for 20 or 30 minutes. When you make this recipe, you’ll have three egg whites left over to add to omelets for dinner.

Cuisine

Modern

Course

Dessert

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

15-30 min

Cooking Technique

Pressure Cook

Keywords

15-30 min, 6 servings, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, contributed, cook 25 min, dessert, easy, finely grated lemon zest, granulated white sugar, instant pot dessert, instant pot dessert recipe, instant pot lemon curd, large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks, lemon juice, modern, prep 5 min, pressure cook, stick butter, table salt, water

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

25 min

Servings

6 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Water
1 cup granulated white sugar
3 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 tsp table salt
3/4 stick butter

Instructions

Pour the water into the insert set in a 5-, 6-, or 8-quart Instant Pot. Put a pressure-safe rack or trivet in the insert.
Whisk the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, lemon zest (if using), lemon juice, and salt in a 2-quart, 7-inch-round, high-sided, pressure- safe baking or soufflé dish until smooth. Whisk in the butter until uniform. Do not cover the baking dish. Set it on the rack and lock the lid on the pot.
For the MAX model: Set the pot for Pressure Cook and set the level to Max. Set the time for 4 minutes and make sure the Keep Warm setting is off.
For the other models: Set pot for Pressure Cook or Manual and set to High Pressure. Set the time for 5 minutes and make sure the Keep Warm setting is off.
When the pot has finished cooking, turn it off and let the pressure return to normal naturally for 10 minutes. Then use the quick- release method to get rid of the pot’s residual pressure. Unlatch the lid and open the cooker. Whisk the curd in the baking dish until smooth, then use hot pads or silicone baking mitts to transfer the (hot!) dish to a nearby wire rack. Cool for 5 minutes or to room temperature before serving. To store, cover the room-temperature curd with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Notes

Beyond
• Spoon the lemon curd over vanilla ice cream.
• Or scoop it up with shortbread or sugar cookies.
• Or put it over raspberries and blackberries (with sweetened whipped cream, too).
Other Pots
• These ingredient ratios do not work well for a 3-quart Instant Pot.
• For a 10-quart Instant Pot, you must increase the amount of water in the insert to 2 1/2 cups while otherwise completing the recipe as stated.