I have a lemon tree in my yard so I am always trying to think of uses for them.  One of the first recipes I made after moving here was lemon curd.  Curds in general lend themselves very well to keto adaptation.  They contain eggs, lemon juice, butter and sugar.  Eliminate the sugar and you are already close to a ketogenic recipe!  Here is my version… I made a quick “shortbread” out of almond flour and butter to make a lemon curd tart, you can eliminate this if you want.  The curd would be wonderful served on top of vanilla yogurt or ice cream or you could make the Basic muffins and create a beautiful parfait by cutting the muffins into cubes and layering the curd and whipped cream between the cubes!

This is a great way to enjoy and savor the flavors of citrus while still being balanced with sufficient protein to create a meal.  This recipe makes 2 servings because 1 serving is not large enough to cook in a pot with out burning!

Makes 2 servings

300 calories each

3.5:1 ratio

Ingredients

For the Curd:

61g raw egg, mixed well

18g fresh lemon juice

37g cold butter, cut into small cubes

about 6 drops of liquid stevia, more if you prefer

For the Shortbread:

16g butter, room temperature

21g almond flour

pinch of salt

sweetener if desired (I did not use any in the shortbread)

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Make the shortbread first: mix the butter, almond flour, salt and sweetener if using together until well combined.  Divide this in half and press it into the bottom of 2 ramekins, bake about 5-10 minutes until it is browned slightly around the edges.  Let it cool in the refrigerator before filling with the curd.

In the smallest pot you have, mix the eggs, lemon juice, salt and sweetener together.  Use a whisk to combine them very well and break down the egg.  Put the pot over LOW heat and continue to slowly whisk the egg mixture until it begins to thicken.  Do not be tempted to turn the heat up or walk away at this point!  Make sure you are scraping the sides down as you are stirring.  It should take about 5 minutes total for it to begin to thicken.

Once the mixture has reached the consistency of thin pudding, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the butter one cube at a time.  Wait until the cubes are incorporated before adding the next one.  To divide the curd in half accurately, you will need put a container on the scale and hit the “tare” or “zero” button.  Pour the curd in to the container and note the weight of the entire batch.  Divide the total weight in half and pour that amount over the shortbread (The weight of the cooked curd will not be the same as the total weight of the raw ingredients, moisture from the eggs will have cooked out resulting is a lesser total weight).  Place the curd in the refrigerator to cool.  It will thicken up as it cools down.