Lemon is one of my favourite flavours. Be it in either a dessert (especially lemon meringue pie) or in a savoury using preserved lemons, sprinkling finely grated lemon zest on top of a spicy soup or simply a squeeze of juice on fresh fish. Once I even made lemon marmalade which was amazing. In fact, I think perhaps lemon IS my favourite flavour, I can’t think of anything that outranks it. I’ve always got a few lemons in the fruit bowl just in case.

Lemon curd is such a nice lemony treat but in the past it’s something I never made very often. However, with the whizzy machine it is just far too easy to make. We all love it, except for my gorgeous Master 2; the deprived wee boy has never tried it as he is highly allergic to dairy. He is also an incredibly fussy eater and would live on peanut butter given half a chance. This has presented some challenges with packed lunches for daycare as obviously peanut butter is not allowed. I’ve been trying to come up with things that he may decide to try if I send it on a sandwich, and it occurred to me that for all his fuss I have, on several occasions, discovered him carrying around a lemon and giving it the odd chew. Hmmm.

As a result a dairy free lemon curd is something I’ve had in the back on my mind to try for a long time. I admit it isn’t exactly the healthiest of lunch choices (it does at least have less sugar than jam) but at the moment my focus is more on encouraging him to try new flavours and unfamiliar foods.

It is a freezing cold quiet Sunday here so I finally found a moment to give it a try. I’m very very pleased to say it is a raging success. He hasn’t tried it yet, wish me luck.

Coconutty Lemon Curd (dairy free)
Makes approximately 650 ml

• 150 grams Raw Sugar (white works too)
• 4 Large Eggs, room temperature
• Fine Zest* of 2 Lemons
• 80 grams fresh Lemon Juice (approximate, anywhere between 70gm – 90gm is fine)
• 100 grams Coconut Oil

*Lemon Zest – if you do not have a fine zester (e.g. microplane) you can use a peeler to remove a thin layer of lemon zest being careful to avoid as much white pith as possible. Add this with the sugar if using this method.

1. Add sugar to cooking bowl, mill 10 Seconds, Speed 10 (increase to 20 seconds if using peeled lemon zest).
2. Add remaining ingredients. Cook 7 minutes, 80 degrees, Speed 3.
3. Pour into clean jars, store in refrigerator.

The level of ‘coconuttyness’ depends on your brand of coconut oil. Extra Virgin has a stronger flavour than other types. I used 50/50 extra virgin and regular as that is what I had available. The coconut is detectable but subtle, nicer than I anticipated. My next step will be to try and make is sugar free too, but for now I’ve got an important appointment in the kitchen with a spoon.