Little Miss Moffat's lemon curd!

There are a few different recipes for lemon curd - some involving adding corn flour to thicken, some using just egg yolks and others that call for heating the water with the lemon rind before adding to the sugar and butter mix and then adding whole eggs.

The recipe I've used this time round is from The River Cottage preserves handbook by Pam Corbin. The recipe calls for 450g granulated sugar which I do think is rather too much - I like my lemon curd as tart and lemony as possible. I have therefore changed the recipe slightly as do think this gives the curd a stronger lemon flavour (recipe follows below).

Last time I was at Borough Market I bought some Beetroot powder from Spice Mountain (one of my obsessions is sourcing unusual hebs and spices). I thought this could make a really eyecatching addition to my lemon curd so decided to add a teaspoon to some leftover mixture. Did you know that one teaspoon of dried beetroot powder has the same amount of nutrients as a whole beet?!

The result was a really vivid pink lemon that maintained the lemony flavour - the beetroot adds a slightly earthy note but doesnt take away from the tanginess. This would be great in cakes, or used as the base for a stunning lemon merringue pie.

Making this again, I would follow the below (I've added more lemon zest, more water, more lemon juice and less sugar):

(Makes 4 x225g jars)

• Finely grated zest and juice of 5 lemons (you need 250ml juice)
• 100ml water
• 125g unsalted butter
• 400g granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs, beaten (you need 200ml egg) 

In a bain marie, heat the water, lemon zest and juice, butter and sugar until hot and glossy and the sugar has melted. Pour in the beaten eggs and whisk  with a balloon whisk (if your mixture separates when you add the egg, it's because it's too hot - use a sugar thermometer and make sure you don't heat above 60C). 

Once the egg is added, continue to mix until it has thickened - about 10 minutes. Remember, the mixture will thicken further once cooled so don't worry if it still seems rather thin. Transfer into sterilised jars while the curd is still hot (preferably into warm jars). Use within 4 weeks and keep in the fridge once opened.