sauces · Uncategorized

Citrus Curd

Citrus curd brightens up biscuits, desserts and tea. It’s easy to make. You can freeze it or can it to have a bit of sunshine any time. So stock up on citrus when it’s in season.

A crystal container of lemon curd sits in the top left side of the photo. The handles of the container are angled at about a 15 degree tilt to the right at the top. The bright yellow curd in the dish contrasts with the teal background. There is a silver spoon filled with lemon curd at the bottom right of the photo. Overlapping slices of lemon are arranged in a curve at the top right of the photo.

I have a grapefruit tree that produces an abundance of fruit each February. This year I harvested 5 bushels (40 gallons) of fruit so I spent some time preserving my bounty.

I made grapefruit marmalade, raspberry grapefruit marmalade, and rosemary grapefruit marmalade. That barely made a dent in my grapefruit supply so I decided to make curd.

What I love about curd is that it freezes well so you can pop it in freezer bags, freeze it and then pull out a bag whenever you need some curd.

A handled crystal bowl of citrus curd sits on a teal board. The bowl is viewed from the top so the bright yellow curd is ringed by the cut glass. The handles are agled at 1 o'clock and 7 o'clock. The words "citrus curd" are at teht top.

You can use any citrus fruit for curd. This recipe works well for lemons, limes or grapefruit. If you use oranges, you will need to reduce the sugar significantly.

I found an easy citrus curd recipe in a pastry textbook. It uses the whole egg instead of just the yolks so you don’t have to separate eggs and you don’t have left over egg whites.

You will have left over peel when you’re done so you can make some candied citrus peel as well.

Citrus curd makes a great cake filling or ice-cream.

Yield: 5 cups (1.2 liters)

Citrus Curd

A crystal container of lemon curd sits in the top left side of the photo. The handles of the container are angled at about a 15 degree tilt to the right at the top. The bright yellow curd in the dish contrasts with the teal background. There is a silver spoon filled with lemon curd at the bottom right of the photo. Overlapping slices of lemon are arranged in a curve at the top right of the photo.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups citrus juice (360 ml)
  • 12 ounces butter cut into small pieces (340 g)
  • 1 ½ pounds sugar (680 g) (a little less than 3 ½ cups)
  • 8 eggs

Instructions

  1. In a large heavy stainless steel saucepan mix together the sugar and the eggs.
  2. Add the juice and whisk together. Add the butter.
  3. Heat the mixture over a medium heat until the mixture almost boils. Stir constantly. I use a whisk to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.
  4. Continue cooking for several minutes more until the mixture thickens.
  5. (Optional) Strain through a sieve to eliminate any lumps.
  6. Store covered in the refrigerator or freeze. Lemon curd will keep for several weeks stored in the refrigerator.

 

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