Lemon Curd Crepe

Prep: 10 Minutes | Cook: 15 Minutes | Setting Time: 1 Hour | Total: 1 Hour 25 mins

Makes 8 8” diameter Crepes

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Ingredients

Lemon Curd

2 Large Eggs

1 1/4 c Sugar

Grated Lemon Zest from 1 large lemon (~2 t)

Juice from 2 large lemons (~1/2 c)

1/2 c Butter

Crepe

1 c All Purpose Flour

2 Eggs

1 1/2 t Vanilla Extract

3/4 c Whole Milk

1/4 c water

1/8 t salt

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Recipe Summary

Lemon Curd

1. Set up a double boiler. This will reduce the chance of your eggs tempering (becoming scrambled eggs) and ruining your lemon curd.

2. Whisk together eggs, sugar, and lemon zest and place over the double boiler. Continuously whisk until the mixture becomes uniform.

3. Add in lemon juice and continue whisking the curd until the texture becomes velvety.

4. Remove from heat and add butter slowly while whisking.

5. Store in a cool location for it to fully set.

Crepe

1. Make crepe batter

2. Fry crepes and place them on top of each other as they’re completed to keep warm

3. Assemble lemon curd crepe

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Recipe 

1. Begin boiling water in a pot. Set up a double boiler by placing another pot that will nest in the pot with boiling water but not touch the water. This allows a gentle cooking method that uses the escaping steam to control the cooking temperature

2. Once the water has begun boiling, set up your double boiler. Whisk together eggs and sugar until fully uniform in the top pot of your double boiler. Add lemon zest and continue to whisk until the mixture is uniform.

3. Add in lemon juice and mix until fully incorporated. Because of the double boiler we will not have to constantly mix this mixture, however it should be occasionally stirred. The temperature should reach around 170F when completed.

4. Remove the top pot of the double boiler and turn off the heat. Divide butter in 4 equal portions and add 1 at a time to the lemon curd mixture. Dividing the butter will speed up the melting time and allow it to melt and incorporate evenly into the curd, which will make the curd even more smooth and velvetty.

5. Curd is delicious warm, but it will continue to set as it cools down. The lemon curd will fully set in a refrigerator overnight, however it will begin to become thicker in as little as 30 minutes.

6. Assemble crepes by placing a layer of lemon curd on the entire surface of the crepe. Fold and serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and an extra dollop of lemon curd.

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Why the Recipe Works

Lemons are a delicious dessert component because they have a natural sweetness and of course the characteristic sourness that makes your mouth pucker. On their own lemons are inedible for most, however when complemented with sugars, fats, and dough, lemons become much more mellow and impose a wonderful flavor on any dessert.

Lemon curd at its core is a lemon sauce that is held together by the egg proteins. By heating and whisking the mixture, the egg proteins can denature and reform into the thick curd we’re shooting for.

Adding butter at the end of the cooking process allows you to add a richness to the curd without risk of burning the butter. The cooked butter flavor would take away from the freshness of the lemon curd, so this technique of adding and whisking in butter off heat gives you a velvety sauce perfect for crepes, cakes, cookies, or just eating on it’s own.