Sometimes I really enjoy the process of making a recipe. This isn't true all of the time, and in fact if you asked me which I enjoy more about cooking, the creative component of brainstorming and developing a recipe/meal or the actual cooking, I would say the former, hands down. But sometimes the stars align in the kitchen and things come together fluidly and with ease. The individual ingredients, when heated and stirred, transform right in front of your eyes into something much greater than the sum of their parts. It's called instant gratification my friends, and that's where this lemon curd comes in.

It takes all of 6 minutes to cook, and then is popped in the fridge to cool and set. The most difficult part is separating the egg yolks from the whites. I had the yolks already separated and waiting in the fridge because I used the egg whites last week in almond macaroons I made for friends we visited in Zurich. Below I've listed other suggestions for using the leftover egg whites. If you do plan ahead to have the yolks stored in the fridge waiting for you, this recipe comes together so quickly you'll hardly notice you're cooking. Plus having homemade lemon curd hanging around is never a bad thing. Sure, you can buy the pre-made jar of it at the store, but there's such a difference in texture and freshness with the real thing. The brightness of the fresh lemon juice really shines through, you can control the sweetness, and you can rest assured you won't be consuming any of the stabilizers, unnatural thickeners, preservatives, or powdered egg yolks in the homemade version. This is the real deal, made from whole ingredients only.

My husband competed in his first of two Spring triathlons last weekend, and he did excellent I might add. The swim was in an outdoor pool this time but will be in open water in a month. The water is quite chilly and full wet suits are a must, but the weather cooperated with us and there was no rain at least.

I wanted to have a post-race treat for him and had in mind something like a trifle, or at least the elements of a trifle; buttery pound cake, lemon curd, soft and light cream. So I made a more straight-forward deconstructed trifle with an olive oil pound cake made the previous day.

And if your mom is a fan of lemon, this would be a great light, sweet treat to make for her this

weekend. Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I hope you take time for yourself and enjoy your day! And a Happy Mother's Day to my mother-in-law, aunts, cousins, and girlfriends who are mothers! You all amaze me.

Here are some other ideas for using lemon curd:

Make lemon bars
Spread on toast
Fold whipped cream into the curd for an instant mousse
Enjoy as is with biscotti or crumbled Amaretti cookies on top

…..and leftover egg whites:

These almond macaroons with chocolate ganache (I halved the sugar, otherwise they were delicious!)
Egg white omelet or this frittata
Spiced, roasted nuts such as this recipe
Classic angel food cake
As a face mask

Lemon Curd
Serves 4-6

1/2 cup/100 g sugar
1/2 cup/118 ml fresh lemon juice (~2 juicy lemons)
2 Tbsp. fresh grapefruit or orange juice (~1/2 of a small grapefruit or a regular sized orange)
1/8 tsp. salt
6 large egg yolks
3 Tbsp. coconut oil (butter will work here too)

Whisk together the first 5 ingredients in a small, heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat. Cook until it starts to thicken (about 6 minutes), whisking often throughout the cooking process so the bottom does not stick.
Remove from heat and stir in the coconut oil until melted. Transfer the curd to a small glass bowl, cover the surface with plastic and let set in in the refrigerator until chilled.

Deconstructed Trifle Assembly

Lightly butter a few thick slices of pound cake (I made this olive oil pound cake minus the syrup and glaze), drizzle with honey, and place under the broiler for a few minutes until lightly browned and toasted.
Once the cake has cooled slightly, spread a layer of lemon curd over the slices, and top with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.

Lemon Curd, A Deconstructed Trifle, and a Triathlon