Key Lime Curd

So I was out of town over the holidays. I did my roadtrip where I visited assorted people everywhere along the way and burned through way too much gas. I was gone for 12 days. 12 whole days, my poor house missed me. See, I'm a bit of a homebody. That's the nice way to put it. Hermit might be more accurate. I like puttering around the house and not really doing anything. So 12 days away is a lot.

Before I had gone, I had bought some key limes. They were on sale so I couldn't resist. Had no plans for what I was gonna do with them but the bag was $1. How could I resist? Then they sat in the fridge for almost 3 weeks. By the time I got back, they were not at their prime. Still juicable but not in their prime.

So it's the weekend after I got back. I have a million things around the house that I should do. Clean, laundry, pay bills, you know how that goes. Instead I decided to make lime curd.

First off, juicing key limes is a pain. The whole bag of them made about 1/3 cup of juice. But each one gives you what seems like 2 drops. But after I went through the whole bag (you know what I'm talking about, you see them at all grocery stores at some point) I had 1/3 cup of juice.

This recipe requires a lot of whisking. Be prepared to whisk for 15 minutes straight. On the plus side, if you are pathetic like me, you can consider that a work out for the day :) Which makes it justified to eat spoonfuls of this stuff when it's done.

Let me just say this is delicious. So far, I've just been eating it off a spoon. Or a spatula. Or the bowl. Any suggestions on how to use it? I want something that will highlight the absolute amazingness of this stuff. Yes, that is a word. Never mind the red underline under it.

Oh and this recipe makes just enough to fill a small jelly jar and have a little taste. I used a Smuckers jar, I think it's 18 oz. but I ripped the label (partially) off and didn't bother to look first.

Key Lime Curd
based on Alton Brown's recipe for Lemon Curd

1/3 cup key lime juice
1 tbsp zest (i used a mix of lemon and lime that I had in the freezer)
5 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter

Whisk eggs and sugar together until it is pale yellow. Put bowl over a pot of boiling water. Add lemon juice and whisk constantly until thickened. Take off heat and strain through a very fine mesh strainer. Mix in the butter, a pat at a time, letting each pat dissolve before the next addition. Pour into a jar or other vessel for storage. Store in the refrigerator.