Lemon curd and strawberry buttermilk scones

Its the end of July and summer has finally decided to show its face here in Scotland. I've been spending my days off on the beach, eating ice cream and... making lemon curd and scones. Not even this weather can deter me when i get an idea in my head!

I made the lemon curd at the weekend after I accidentally came home with a rather large bag of lemons...

It came out beautifully though I'd never made it before and despite a brief spell where I was sure I was going to end up with lemon syrup instead of curd. Very rich, sweet and buttery.

And here's the recipe:

225g sugar
Zest and juice of 3 lemons
5 egg yolks
300g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes


Makes 550g of curd.


Put sugar, zest, juice and egg yolks into a heatproof bowl and set above a pan of just simmering water. Stir constantly for ten minutes. Start adding the butter a few cubes at a time until its all incorporated. At this point, the curd should have thickened to a creamy consistency. Don't overheat or the eggs will scramble! 


Strain through a sieve to get rid of the zest and spoon into your jars before sealing tightly.


Just a note on the recipe here, the cooking time was estimated at 15 minutes but it took my curd around 25 minutes to thicken up so don't give up hope too soon!


And of course i couldn't resist making something to put the curd on. I originally thought of sultana scones but with Scottish strawberries being in season it seemed rude not to make strawberry scones instead! These ones were made with buttermilk, something I've never used in a scone recipe before. The finished product wasn't as sweet as I would have liked but with a generous smear of lemon curd they were just right and they counteracted the intense sweet citrus of the curd well.

240g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
40g sugar
pinch of salt
60g cold butter, cubed
175ml buttermilk
100g strawberries
1 egg yolk for brushing


makes 8.


Preheat oven to 170c/gas mark 3 and line a tray with baking paper.


Sift flour and put in a bowl with the sugar and baking powder. Add the butter and mix with your fingers or a fork until it takes on the consistency of rough sand. Add the buttermilk and mix well before adding the strawberries.


Roll out the dough onto your work surface, sprinkling with flour to stop it sticking until it is roughly a few centimetres thick and then cut into circles. Brush over the egg yolk and place on the baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.


Right, I'm back off outside to enjoy the sunshine before it disappears again!