Flavor of the Week: Lemon Curd, the sweet and tangy confection

Lemon curd is a type of spread or filling typically made of lemon juice, egg yolks, sugar, and lemon zest. It has a bright and tart flavor and is used commonly in dessert and breakfast bakery applications.

Its intense lemony flavor holds up on its own, and often takes center stage in sweet treats, or sometimes with the addition of mild and creamy mascarpone for balance.

Classic flavor profiles like lemon curd are resurging with emphasis on simple and like-home-made jams and spreads growing over the past four years.

Market research firm Datassential reports that lemon curd found on 1.4% of dessert menus in the U.S., rising by 43% over the past four years.

Click through the gallery to learn more about this week’s Flavor of the Week and see how one restaurant is using lemon curd on its menu.