How long do egg custards keep?
 

I made a LC lemon curd 2 weeks ago and am loving it but am eating it in small amounts almost as a condiment. I would hate to throw it away but it is essentially a sour egg custard and while it tastes, smells and looks the same to me I wonder if I should be keeping it this long? At this rate I could keep eating it for another week or so or more than 3 weeks total inthe fridge. I don't think it could be frozen -yuck. How long would you keep it?

It should keep for around 2-3 weeks in a sealed jar. You can however freeze it without a problem.

I admire your willpower - keeping such a gorgeous treat for weeks on end..........

Funny ... I was just wondering the same thing? I've had one in the fridge for about two weeks as well - just nibbling once in a while and DH is not a fan of lemon, so it's all mine! As I understand it, the acid in the lemon is a very good preservative, so it should keep safely for quite awhile, especially in covered container (think pickles - well, not that long, but you get the idea!).

Thanks for the insights. I will continue to enjoy my yummy lemon curd. Right now it is just in a bowl with plastic wrap. I think I will transfer it to something with a tight lid and keep it for another week or until it appears or smells "off". So good... Last night I nuked an ounce of cream cheese, added a drop of liquid splenda and mixed then covered in lemon curd. heaven.

Never managed to keep one more than a few days, maybe a week at most. The acid in the lemon is a good preservative. Sometimes I even through in extra citric acid to give it more bite, and it acts as a preservative too.

Nancy - lemons already contain large amounts of citric acid naturally.

As the curd reaches boiling point thus most of the germs are killed. There is no problem keeping it in the fridge for up to even 1 month.

You can also freeze it. Just thaw it out at room temperature.

Yup, I know. But I like the taste of adding even more.

I never tried freezing it... didn't think that would work. Now I guess I should try it!

Do try - you have to live dangerously ! :lol:

I never thought you could bake it into a pie crust either, but Karen Barnaby has a recipe in her book where you do just that! It's really good.

Also, someone here has a recipe where they coat chicken with it and bake it.

Lemon custard... surprisingly versatile!

Nancy, what page is that pie crust on? I suspect it's on a page that I don't have in my copy. I sure wish it had mentioned somewhere that this was an abbreviated version of her book - I'd have sprung for the hard-cover one even though it was double the price!

I don't know about actually baking curd/custard as it is already cooked.
However you can make a tart with it by just adding it to a baked pastry case.

Yeah, in a pastry shell is the first thing you think of, but if Karen B. says you can bake it as part of the shell, trust me - you CAN do it!!

I didn't mean that you can't do it but you don't have to.

Sorry if I wasn't clear but it's just after 5am in the morning overhere and am getting ready to go to work. Not quite awake ! :lol:

:lol: Oops! I was assuming that Karen's recipe included the lemon curd as part of the crust so you had a lemon flavoured crust. NANCY!! Which is it?

Oooops ! still didn't read the crust part. Must be seriously in need of more coffee. :lol: