Yes. More lemon.

I think about half of my baking comes from having ingredients I need to use or lose. Okay, maybe a quarter. This is one such recipe.

I STILL had lemons sitting around that I just couldn't ignore for another weekend but knew absolutely what I DIDN'T want to make from them (cake/cupcakes or sorbet/ice cream). That left me with a tart (which I've done before) or curd. Making the tart shells seemed like too much effort so I settled on curd.

It's relatively easy to make in the same way custard is; you cook it VERY slowly over low heat so the eggs don't curdle. I was actually considering cooking longer (even though I went the recommended time) because I imagined curd as thicker. However, I saw a bit of cooked egg and immediately took it off the fire (then put it through a sieve, of course).

It was quite good because c'mon; it's full of butter. What's not to like?

I then had to make some scones for it to go on and they're like mildly sweet biscuits. I think I could do better but they are better than my first batch many moons ago which were like hockey pucks. I'm improving!



SCONES
Adapted from: Tyler Florence


2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a food processor, mix together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut butter into cubes and pulse into processor until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Transfer to large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour heavy cream into well and fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough. (Refrigerate or freeze for a few minutes to firm up butter if it has gotten warm.)

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1 1/4 inches. Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with a little heavy cream. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautiful and brown. Let the scones cool a bit before you serve.



LEMON CURD
Source: Williams-Sonoma

5 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Grated zest of 2 lemons
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter


In a heavy saucepan, combine the egg yolks and sugar and whisk vigorously for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk for 1 minute more. Set the pan over low heat and cook gently, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool, stirring occasionally. Cover tightly and refrigerate before using. Makes about 1 cup.



WHIPPED CREAM

1/2 cup heavy cream, well chilled
1 tbsp confectioners' sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place a mixing bowl and beaters from electric mixer in the freezer or refrigerator until well chilled, about 15 minutes.

2. Combine the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract in the mixing bowl.

3. With an electric mixer on low speed, begin beating the cream, gradually increasing the speed to high as cream thickens. (Do this slowly, or the cream will splatter.)

4. Beat until the cream forms soft peaks. Test to see if it is ready by turning off the mixer and lifting the beaters out of the cream - if the cream makes soft peaks that topple over slightly, then it's done.

Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Altogether, it was delish!