Bergamot Lemon Curd

Inspired by Nigel Slater’s column in The Observer and adapted from Cenk Sönmezsoy’s The Artful Baker

Every winter, when bergamot lemons arrive, they always find their way into my kitchen. I usually make marmalade or mix their zest into caster sugar to keep their fragrance alive through the season. This year, I wanted to try something new — a bergamot lemon curd, smooth enough to spoon straight from the jar yet sturdy enough to fill a tart.

Instead of using the juice, which can be quite bitter, I used only the zest for its bright, floral aroma, blending it with fresh lemon juice for balance. The result is a curd that tastes like sunshine in a jar — soft, perfumed, and slightly sharper than you expect.

I first made it for my bergamot lemon meringue tarts, pairing it with the buttery pâte sablée crust from Cenk Sönmezsoy’s The Artful Baker. But it’s just as good on toast, swirled into yogurt, or layered between cakes.

You can find the full recipe below — a little winter ritual I’ll definitely be repeating every bergamot season. 🍋✨

Ingredients

240 g double cream

Zest of 1 bergamot lemon (about 1 tbsp, finely grated)

Zest and juice of 3 lemons (about 120 g freshly squeezed juice from the zested lemons)

175 g granulated sugar

4 large eggs

4 large egg yolks

Method

1. Heat the cream

   In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to just below a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, cover, and keep warm.

   
   

2. Infuse the sugar

   In a separate medium saucepan, add the sugar. Finely grate the zest of one bergamot lemon and the zest of the three lemons directly over the sugar. Use your fingertips to rub the zests into the sugar until it feels slightly damp and aromatic.

   
   

3. Add eggs and juice

   Whisk in the eggs, yolks, and freshly squeezed lemon juice until the mixture looks smooth and pale, about 2–3 minutes.

   
   

4. Temper with hot cream

   While whisking constantly, drizzle in about half the hot cream. Then pour in the rest, still whisking.

   
   

5. Cook the curd

   Place the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring continuously and scraping the bottom with a silicone spatula, until the curd thickens slightly and reaches 72 °C (162 °F) on an instant-read thermometer — about 5–10 minutes.

   
   

6. Strain and cool

   Pour the curd through a fine-mesh strainer into a large jug or bowl, pressing gently to extract every bit.

   
   

7. Store or use

   Transfer to a jar and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until set — it will thicken as it chills.

Serving

Use as a filling for tarts, spread over toast, or swirl through yogurt. It keeps for up to a week in the fridge.