THE ORIGINAL ‘RECEIPT’

LEMON BUTTER.

Beat six eggs, one-fourth pound butter, one pound sugar, the rind and juice of three lemons;  mix together and set in a pan of hot water to cook.  Very nice for tarts or to eat with bread.

~Ladies of Toronto.  The Home Cook Book.  Toronto:  The Musson Book Co. Limited, 1877.

THE UPDATED RECIPE

• 4 oz. butter
• 1 lb. granulated sugar
• 6 eggs
• grated zest of 3 lemons
• juice of 3 lemons.

Wash and dry the lemons, and grate the zest from them.

Squeeze and strain the juice from the lemons.

In the top of a double boiler, cream the butter and sugar together with a spoon.

Add the eggs, and beat lightly with a spoon.

Add the juice and zest fo the lemons, and blend together.

Cook over boiling water, at medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the mixture is thickened to the consistency of a rich custard.

Use as a filling for baked tart shells, or as a filling for a layer cake, or as a spread to eat with fruit-bread or biscuits.  Would be wonderful in a pavlova as well!

Yield:  approximately 3 cups.

This is rich, smooth, and wonderfully zesty.  It will keep for several days, if stored in a cool place.

A note from Patricia: I made tarts with this lemon butter, and prepared a batch of Karn’s Pastry to make the tart shells (because I love a buttery tart shell!). I ate one, and then immediately ate two more.

(For the shells) ….line patty-pans with it;  scollop the edges nicely with a knife, and prick them with a pin to keep them from blistering in the oven.

~Frazer, Mrs. The Practice of Cookery. Edinburgh:  Printed for Peter Hill: by J. Ruthven & Sons, 1800.