I just made my pie crust from scratch, squeezed some lemons from the tree in my back yard, made lemon curd/pie filling, made meringue, baked the pie, and while I was cleaning the kitchen I found the butter that should be in the lemon curd still on the counter. Yikes. The pie looks beautiful, but . . . anyone know how big a differnece this will make? I know this isn't a cake question exactly, but I figure enough people on here have made lemon curd that someone might know. I can't get a peek at mine as it's sandwiched between my beautiful pie crust and my beautiful meringue.

Don't worry about it. I've seen curd recipes that don't call for butter. I think butter makes it a little smoother and creamier, and richer in flavor, but 95% of the population won't notice.

I wanted to come back and say thanks for the advice. I was going to toss it, but I did keep it. I could tell it was a little thick and jello-like, but everyone else loved it. So glad that I didn't start over.