Tart, tangy lemon curd and gooey cream cheese fill these pillowy, golden pastries…perfect for Sunday brunch!

Ingredients: Lemon Curd Filling

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2/3 cups lemon juice
• 4 large eggs (room temperature); you will use two eggs whole and two yolks
• 6 Tbsp (3 ounces) unsalted butter
• Heatproof whisk
• Large spatula
• Electric beaters
• Medium pan, preferably with high sides (I use a 2 quart saute pan)
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Prep bowls (2 large and 2 small)
• Cooling rack
• Large glass bowl for cooling (see notes in step 10 below)
• Plastic wrap
• Storage container (if using later)
• Prep and cook time: 15 min; cooling time: 90 min, plus 30 minutes refrigeration
• Yield: almost 2 cups
• Lasts 1-2 weeks in the fridge

Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp cup granulated sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Prep bowl, beaters
• Takes 2-3 minutes

Ingredients: Puff Pastry

• 2 puff pastry sheets, thawed yet cold
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbsp water
• Sugar (coarse, turbinado, or granulated)
• Powdered sugar for dusting, optional
• Baking Sheet(s)
• Parchment Paper
• Sharp knife
• Small prep bowl and pastry brush (or paper towel)
• Takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes

A Note on Lemons

Various sizes and types of lemons will yield different amounts of zest and juice. Having made this recipe many times, I find that I use 2 large or 4 medium lemons to yield about 1/3 c lemon juice – so I buy ready-made lemon juice to make up the difference. I have also found that Meyer lemons yield more zest…so I only need the zest of 1 Meyer lemon to obtain 1 tsp of zest, whereas when I use other lemons, I need two to get enough zest! So…my advice would be to always have an extra lemon or two on hand when planning on making lemon curd!

Background

A few years ago, a friend asked for lemon curd filled cupcakes for her birthday. I had used various lemon curd recipes in the past, but I wanted something quicker and thicker…so after much experimentation (and a lot of lemon curd), I hit on this recipe! Now, it’s one of my favorite things to make – so versatile and so delicious. Recently, I wanted to try adding it to easy homemade cream cheese danish (using pre-made frozen puff pastry). The results are so yummy – I highly recommend them for your next Sunday brunch!

Prep for Lemon Curd

*Note: I almost always make my lemon curd ahead of time. Lemon curd lasts in the fridge for up to two weeks, so these pastry puffs are one option that I use after I’ve made lemon curd the previous weekend!

1. Let eggs and butter come to room temperature (get them out of the fridge about an hour before you begin)
2. Zest the lemon(s) for 1 tsp of lemon zest – keep in mind that various lemons will yield different amounts of zest…that’s why you should have 2 lemons handy for this recipe!
3. Squeeze the lemons – I find that 2 large lemons yield about 1/3 c of juice; measure out remaining juice to make a total of 2/3 cup
4. Separate two yolks; place them in a bowl with the cracked whole eggs
5. Carefully whisk together corn starch and sugar (you don’t want a cloud of corn starch in the air)

When you’re ready to cook:

1. Using electric beaters, cream (whisk) the butter until it is blended and smooth on medium low – this takes about 15 seconds
2. Add ½ sugar/corn starch mixture and beat on medium low; then, once the sugar/corn starch is mostly blended, add the rest. *Mixture will begin to look fluffier as it blends, but will not be completely blended (incorporated) due to the corn starch
3. Keep the beaters on medium low and begin to add eggs, one yolk at a time. Beat until each yolk is incorporated; once all eggs are added, beat for an additional 1-2 minutes on medium low.
4. Slowly whisk in lemon juice, a little bit at a time (I add about 1-2 Tbsps at a time), blending after each addition. PS: don’t worry if the mixture looks a bit lumpy! Because of the acid in the lemons, the mixture may separate slightly – it will smooth back together once we start cooking
5. Transfer to medium pan
6. Turn heat to low and begin to whisk. Whisk slowly and continually until mixture is smooth (about  2 minutes and 45 seconds).
7. Once mixture looks like it coming together again, increase heat to medium and cook, whisking slowly and continually, until mixture just begins to boil (about 4 – 5 minutes).
8. Return heat to low and cook an additional 2 minutes to encourage mixture to thicken; continue to whisk slowly and evenly!
9. Remove from heat and whisk in zest.
10. Using a spatula, transfer into a glass bowl or pan – choose a pan that wide so your mixture is about an inch thick once you transfer it (my bowl is 7 in in diameter with straight sides (so the bottom has the same width as the top).
11. Immediately cover with plastic wrap PLACING PLASTIC DIRECTLY on the surface of the Lemon Curd Filling (lightly lay wrap on top of bowl – working in sections, gently lift wrap, ease it down onto the curd, and then move to the next section)
12. Place bowl onto a cooling rack to encourage air flow underneath
13. When curd filling is cool (check by placing your hand on the bottom of the bowl – it should be cool – this takes at least an hour), transfer to storage container(s) of your choice and put in fridge
14. *If I’m using this as a filling, I simply leave it in the glass bowl for later use; if I’m using it as a condiment, I put it in a cute jam jar!

Baking Day: Pastry Puffs

Step-by-step: Prep Ahead

1. Set puff pastry sheets out to thaw 35 minutes ahead (depending on room temperature, it may take 40 minutes to thaw – you want it to unfold easily yet still be cold, so check at 35 minutes…if it’s not ready, wait another 5 minutes). Prep baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove frozen sheets of pastry from package. Set on parchment covered baking sheet, but do not ‘unfold’ them. Set timer.
2. Set out cream cheese and egg to come to room temperature 35 minutes ahead of time.

When your Pastry Puff Sheets are Thawed

3. Preheat oven to 375.
4. Separate egg white from yolk.
5. Unfold pastry sheets.
6. Prep your crust: This recipe works best with smaller, individual sized pastries. To prep for smaller pastries, cut one pasty sheet roughly into six rectangles.Poke holes across each pastry  in the middle and brush with egg white. Then, fold the corners of each rectangle towards the middle. Use the fork to firmly press the corners to the center to seal these pieces together. Brush the edges with egg white mixture, and sprinkle the edges generously with turbinado sugar.
7. Repeat with second sheet of pastry dough.
8. Par-bake pastry for 15 minutes.

9. As the pastry begins to bake, prep your cream cheese filling. In a prep bowl, beat the cream cheese for about 60 seconds so it gets creamy. Add sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
10. Transfer your cream cheese filling into a Ziplock bag; transfer your lemon curd into a separate Ziplock bag.
11. After 15 minutes, remove pastry puff (allow to fall or press the center down with the back of a spoon or frosting spatula if it got puffy – this is one of my secret tips – sometimes, puff pastry doesn’t behave…so I press it back into the desired shape after par-baking).
12. Decorate! Place your cream cheese and lemon curd onto your pastry. I like to alternate between a line of cream cheese filling and a line of lemon curd. Then, I draw a tooth pick through the alternating lines to create chevron designs (see pics).
13. Bake another 10 minutes until pastry edges are golden brown.
14. Let rest at least 5 minutes before serving. *I like these served warm; my boyfriend loves them room temp or cold! If you’d like to serve them at room temperature, allow them to cool for about 30 minutes before serving! If you’d like to serve them cold, pop them into the fridge for at least an hour after they’ve cooled.
15. Dust with powdered sugar before serving if you’d like!

Serve and Enjoy

Other Options

Check out my other fun options for pastry puffs and lemon curd!