I asked my neighbor Jennifer for her lovely light lemon curd recipe, which follows:
3/4 c. sugar
1 Tbs. + 2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. lemon rind
1/2 c. lemon juice
1/3 c. water
1 egg

Combine sugar, cornstarch and lemon rind. Gradually add water and lemon juice. Microwave and stir until boiling.

Put egg in a small bowl. Gradually stir 1/4 of sugar mixture into egg. Add back into the remainder of the sugar mixture. Microwave until thick.

I could make this recipe more local if I were to spend Christmas at the home of my friend in Florida. There citrus trees ring the house and fruit hangs like Christmas balls. After I pick and juice the fruits, my hands are so fragrant they keep fluttering to my face so I can inhale the delicious scent again.

If we were to choose the pagan color scheme of red and green rather than liturgical gold and white, we could make a blood orange lemon curd and put it atop a pastry made with green pistachios. This would be a culinary parallel to our Noel Nouvelet, the blood red color prefiguring the Passion to come, just as the hymn serves us at Nativity and Passiontide.