Lime (or lemon) curd
Lime curd is a delicious conserve and variation on the traditional lemon curd, made with limes, eggs and butter. It's the perfect filling for either large or small tarts.
170 K 4.9/5 (23 reviews)
55 min.
Easy
400 g
5 IngredientsLast modified on: July 10th 2011
For 400 g, you will need:
- 1
100 g caster sugar - 2
3 limes - 3
2 eggs - 4
100 g butter - 5
5 drops food colouring (optional) - Total weight: 630 grams
Change these quantities to make:
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 20 min.
Resting: 20 min.
Cooking: 20 min.
All in all: 55 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 10 min.
Tip 100 g caster sugar into a bowl and add the zest of the 3 limes.
Stir with a whisk and leave for 10 minutes so that the sugar takes up the aromas of the zest.
Stir with a whisk and leave for 10 minutes so that the sugar takes up the aromas of the zest.
Stage 2 - 10 min.
Add 2 eggs...
Stage 3 - 5 min.
...and mix thoroughly with the whisk.
Stage 4 - 2 min.
Add the juice of the 3 limes. Mix thoroughly again.
Stage 5 - 3 min.
Filter the mixture through a fine sieve and discard the zest.
Stage 6 - 1 min.
Tip the mixture into a pan.
Stage 7 - 8 min.
Leave over low heat, whisking gently until it thickens.
If you have an electronic thermometer, the temperature should reach around 82°C (180°F).
If you have an electronic thermometer, the temperature should reach around 82°C (180°F).
Stage 8 - 10 min.
Leave to cool for 10 minutes, until the temperature goes down to 60°C (140°F), then add 100 g butter and, if you wish, 5 drops food colouring.
Stage 9 - 5 min.
Mix thoroughly. Your lime (or lemon) curd is ready.
Remarks
For a classic lemon curd, use only 2 lemons (and, of course, no colouring).
Keeping: A few days in the fridge in a sealed container.
Source: After Pierre Hermé.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 20 RDI=6 % | 130 RDI=10 % | 90 RDI=10 % | 1,440 RDI=70 % | 6,020 RDI: 70 % |
| Per 100 g | 2 RDI=1 % | 20 RDI=2 % | 20 RDI=2 % | 230 RDI=10 % | 960 RDI: 10 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 400 g : 1.90 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipe
Lemon Tart / Meringue Pie
Lemon tart is one of the great classics of French patisserie. The are lots of versions with different kinds of pastry and filling. This one uses sweetcrust pastry (pâte sablée) and lemon curd as the filling. Just top with meringue for that other classic: lemon meringue pie.
57 K5 3 hours 25 min.
Two-coloured chocolate-orange tart
This tart, with its twinned chocolate and orange flavours, is a bit fiddly to make. The fillings are fairly straightforward (classic chocolate ganache and orange curd), but it is tricky to ensure that the fillings do not run into each other. You will need to make a divider but, as you will see, this...
68 K5 2 hours 35 min.
Little lime tarts
With this very quick recipe, you can make little tarts that are nothing like those you find in the shops.
134 K4.3 40 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Butter
Like these other recipes: Cockles and cabbage with smoky cream sauce, Scrambled eggs (Oeufs brouillés), Flaky brownie brioche, Mushroom bourguignon, How to fry eggs well, ... See them all 476
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: Apple paste, Lime meringue tart, Lemon Confectioner's Custard, Chocolate sauce, Tiramisu, ... See them all 361
Lime
Like these other recipes: Surprise bread, Mascarpone fondant with two lemons, Key Lime Pie for Jeremy, Verrine of avocado mousse and crab, Four-tier glasses, ... See them all 53
Egg
Like these other recipes: Pâté de campagne, Liège waffles, Oaty walnut cake , Caribbean upside-down cake, Sweet pastry, ... See them all 238
Other recipes you may also like
Chocolate tart
As you can see, there's very little added sugar in this recipe, so it's a very chocolatey and bitter-sweet tart. November 16th 2013302 K 15 2 hours 30 min.
Financiers
This delicious little cake gets its name from its shape, in the form of a gold ingot. April 14th 2020341 K 24.6 20 min.
French dressing (vinaigrette)
Here is a very simple recipe, but it could completely transform, maybe even transcend, your salad. July 7th 20111.06 M4.5 7 min.
Tartiflette
A personal version of a classic recipe from Savoy. September 16th 2019620 K 14.6 1 hour 30 min.
Four quarters
It's "the simpliest cake in the world", called four quarters, because it's made with 1/4 eggs, 1/4 sugar, 1/4 flour and 1/4 butter. February 21th 2011328 K3.7 1 hour 15 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-09-14)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.