Microwave Lemon Curd

See that beautiful little jar beside that plate?  Oh my!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE all things lemon.  And this lemon curd was oh so easy and super yummy.  AND, I made it in the microwave!  It may have taken a total of 30 minutes including clean up.  I got a little more than 2 cups of lemon curd.  I divided it between 2 of the little jars like in the above picture (each held about 2/3 cup) and a couple of 1 cup Pampered Chef bowls with lids.  This worked well for me because I was able to give some of it away since I DO NOT need that much lemon curd in my house.  I would have eaten it...all of it...with a spoon (sans scones).  Well, that and it only keeps for 3 weeks in the fridge.  So, there would have been added pressure to eat it because I'm not gonna throw food away.  (o;  Ok, so if you love all things lemon as much as I do, then you MUST make this.  TODAY.

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 cup fresh lemon juice

zest of 2 lemons, finely grated

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

In a very large microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until very smooth. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest and melted butter. Cook in the microwave for one minute intervals, stirring after each minute until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes total. Remove from the microwave and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface. Cool for one hour. Store for up to three weeks in the refrigerator in a sealed container. It will thicken a little more once it has been refrigerated. And it just gets better the longer it sits!

All-Day Apple Butter

Ingredients 5 1/2 pounds apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped
4 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well.

Cover and cook on high 1 hour.

Reduce heat to low and cook 9 to 11 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.

Uncover and continue cooking on low 1 hour. Stir with a whisk, if desired, to increase smoothness.

Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate or freeze.

Water bath for 10-15 minutes.

My notes:

I have made this one twice now.  I got 12 jars (half-pint) the first time and about 15 the second time. Used 5 1/2 to 6 pounds of apples the first time.  Second time just crammed as much as possible into the crockpot...probably around 6 1/2 pounds.

The spices...Well, as far as cinnamon goes, I'm one of those "if a little's good, a lot's better" people.  Can you really get too much cinnamon in something?  Just askin.  So, here's what I did on the spices. 2-3 tablespoons of cinnamon, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon each of cloves, nutmeg & allspice, and about a 1/2 teaspoon of ginger.  Now then, that's better!

Before I did this, I knew just enough about a water bath to look stupid in a conversation.  So, I did some online research, read up on it, and poof...now I know what I'm doing.  The original recipe did not require a water bath.  But what I discovered in my research was that IF you do a water bath, whatever is in the jars will last longer.  Now, I know this stuff ain't gonna last long at my house.  BUT, I did give several away and I don't know how long it's gonna sit on someone else's shelf.  So, there ya have it.

If you ever had a hankerin' to make jams or jellies of any sort, this is a really easy place to start.  The only previous experience I had was strawberry jam with a friend a couple of summers ago...and she knew what she was doing.  I was just there for moral support.  (o:  Let me know if you try this one.  I would love to hear whatchya think.