Curd

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Curd is essentially juice or stock thickened with creamed eggs and made glossy with butter. There are a bunch of different techniques for making curd.

Some general tips:

• You don't need as much sugar as most recipes call for. Half a cup for two or three eggs is probably enough.
• You also don't need as much butter. Many recipes call for a whole stick, which, when cool, will result in a super thick curd. A few tablespoons is enough to give it a nice gloss.
• Most curd recipes call for citrus juice, but any stock will work. Eugene made a corn curd inspired by Justin for Iron Chef 2008 that was freakin awesome. He used a cup and a half of corn stock.
• As with any recipes calling for a double boiler, use a pot and bowl that will enable the steam to cover the maximum surface area of the bowl.
• If you're using citrus zest, you can strain the curd afterward to remove the zest, but it's not necessary. I like the texture of the zest in the curd.