Homemade lemon curd is five ingredients and 15 minutes of active cooking. The result is so much better than anything from a jar that it will change what belongs in your refrigerator at all times. Wonderful Seedless Lemons make it even simpler: squeeze directly into the bowl or pan without a strainer, and every drop of juice goes exactly where it belongs.

• 3 Wonderful Seedless Lemons, zested and juiced
• 2 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Always zest before you juice. You cannot zest a squeezed lemon, and Wonderful Seedless Lemons yield beautiful, fragrant zest with no seeds to navigate. Zest 2 lemons, then juice 3 to 4 for the ½ cup the recipe needs.

Use room-temperature eggs. Cold eggs mixed with warm lemon juice can cause the proteins to shock and start cooking unevenly before you even put the bowl over heat. Let the eggs sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before starting.

Stir constantly. This is not a recipe you can leave unattended. The bottom of the bowl closest to the steam is hottest, and without constant movement, the eggs will scramble there while the center of the mixture is still cold. A rubber spatula that reaches into the corners of the bowl is the right tool.

Pull it off the heat slightly early. Lemon curd continues to thicken as it cools. If you cook it until it looks fully set in the bowl, it will be too thick once chilled. The right moment to stop cooking is when it coats a spoon and a drawn line holds. It will thicken considerably more in the refrigerator.

Press plastic directly onto the surface. A skin forms if air touches the warm curd as it cools. Pressing plastic wrap flush against the surface prevents this and keeps the texture perfectly smooth.

Strain for extra smoothness (optional). Wonderful Seedless Lemons eliminate seed straining, but if any small bits of cooked egg appear, pour the finished curd through a fine-mesh strainer before chilling. This is rarely necessary with careful temperature control.

Make a double batch. Lemon curd keeps for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator and freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. A double batch takes only a few extra minutes and means you always have a jar ready for toast, yogurt, or a last-minute dessert.

‍Lemon-Lavender Curd. Add 1 teaspoon of dried culinary lavender to the lemon juice and let it steep for 10 minutes before straining the lavender out and proceeding with the recipe. The lavender adds a floral, herbal note that works particularly well in tarts and as a filling for layer cakes.

Lime Curd. Substitute an equal volume of fresh lime juice and lime zest for the lemon. Lime curd is slightly more bitter and more intensely sour, making it an excellent filling for key lime pie bars or a topping for coconut-flavored desserts.

Lightened Lemon Curd. Use 4 whole eggs instead of the eggs-plus-yolks combination and reduce the butter to 4 tablespoons. The result is a slightly less rich, somewhat less glossy curd that is still bright and spreadable.

Lemon Curd Whipped Cream. Fold ½ cup of chilled, finished lemon curd into 1 cup of freshly whipped heavy cream (whipped to medium-stiff peaks). The result is an airy, lemon-forward topping for pavlova, pound cake, or fresh berries.