a curd making binge

recipes, tips and troubleshooting for making all sorts of fruit curds

In his blog, British Food: A History, Dr Neil Buttery found the first mention of lemon curd in 1944, in The Lady’s Own Cookery Book written by Lady Charlotte Campbell Bury. The recipe is quite different from what we today think of as lemon curd, in that it was actually just lemon acidulating cream to form curds, which were then separated from the whey. Recipes for lemon cheese, however, more closely resemble what we call lemon curd, and recipes for this go back even further. While curd is considered a preserve, the inclusion of eggs and butter, make it more custard than jam.

Judging in progress

Lemon and passionfruit curd entries being prepared for display

When I used to judge at the Royal Queensland Show, one of the categories that attracted the largest number of entries was the lemon curd category. Among all of those entries, it was interesting to see how much they varied. From the palest of yellows to those that were almost neon bright. From the silkiest texture to those that resembled scrambled eggs. From those where the lemon flavour was barely discernible to those where the taste and tartness punched you in the mouth. It was a fine example of similar ingredients and methodology yielding very different results. After tasting that many variations, your own personal preferences become evident. I like a good lemon flavour with some tartness to offset the richness of the eggs and butter. I don’t mind if the texture is a little runny, although this does limit its use, but it must be smooth.

I mentioned a couple of newsletters ago that I was on a curd-making binge. It started after acquiring a lot of passionfruit, and passionfruit curd is one of my favourites. It’s just the right blend of sweet and tart with that tropically passionfruit flavour, which reminds me of summer, even though we are far from it. After taking a few jars to the markets, I realised that everyone likes curd, no matter what the flavour, and so I’ve kept going.

My attention span with making the same thing over and over again is short, so to save boredom from setting in, I’ve been experimenting. Each market, I’ve been taking along a selection of curds in various hues and convincing my very trustworthy customers to purchase them. There have been a number of citrus variations, including lemon and lime, lime and ginger, grapefruit and black pepper, and a range of others made with pureed fruit, such as blackcurrant, raspberry, apricot, apple, and quince.

There are endless variations in how you can make curd - whole eggs versus just yolks or a mixture of both; adding the butter at the end, and using cornflour to thicken. After making lots of curd over lots of years, I’ve narrowed my curd-making down to two recipes that I use. One for citrus-based curds and the other for those that start with a fruit puree.

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Curd-making tips

Eggs

I always use whole eggs, large ones. I whisk the eggs with a fork before pouring them through a sieve into the pot. This reduces streaks of cooked egg white that will appear in your curd. You might still get some small dots of cooked egg white, which you can strain out after the curd has finished cooking if you like.

Butter

Because I always use salted butter in my cooking and baking, that’s what I use when I make curd. And I add the butter at the same time as all the other ingredients.

Heat

Most recipes will tell you to cook your curd over a double boiler, so that it doesn’t get too hot and scramble the eggs. It’s important that your curd is cooked low and slow and that it doesn’t boil. I have an induction stove, and the temperature can be finely regulated so that it maintains a low temperature, so I cook my curd directly over the heat. If you’re confident that your stove can maintain a low temperature, avoid the double boiler and cook directly on the stovetop.

Storing

Curd needs to be stored in the fridge, where it will last for a month. You can also freeze it.

Citrus curd

Makes 3-4 jars

• 180 g salted butter, cut into cubes

• 220 g caster sugar (this makes quite a tart curd, so increase the amount of sugar if you prefer it a bit sweeter)

• 1 - 2 teaspoons of citrus zest (according to personal preference and how zesty you like your curd)

• 200 ml citrus juice

• 4 large eggs, beaten, strained

If you are cooking the curd directly on the stovetop, combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over a very low heat. Use a silicon spatula to stir the mixture regularly. Take care not to boil the mixture. If you are using a double boiler, combine the ingredients in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir the mixture regularly, taking care not to boil the curd.

Continue cooking until the curd thickly coats the back of the spatula. This can take 30 minutes or longer, depending on how low the heat is. I prefer to cook it over a lower heat for a longer time. Remember, the curd will thicken as it cools. Remove from the heat and pour into sterilised jars, seal and cool before storing in the fridge.

Citrus Curd Ideas

• Lemon and lime

• Lemon or lime with ginger. I whizz up a chunk of ginger (about a thumb-sized piece) in the food processor with a couple of tablespoons of water, and then squeeze the liquid into the citrus juice. You should keep to the 200 ml of ginger and citrus juice.

• Grapefruit and cracked black pepper. Add half a teaspoon of freshly cracked pepper to the mixture.

• Meyer lemon or yuzu curd

• Mixed citrus curd. Any combination of lemon, lime, orange, mandarin or grapefruit.

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There are lots of fruit curd possibilities beyond citrus. You need to start with a very smooth puree with a relatively loose texture. It needs to pour thickly rather than needing to be spooned. Some fruits will need to be cooked first, such as apples, apricots, quince, and rhubarb. Then, they can be blended with some of the cooking liquid until smooth. I pass the puree through a sieve to remove any remaining bits of skin, seeds, or stringy bits. Other fruits, such as berries, will be fine without prior cooking. I prefer the curd I make to have a little tartness, particularly some sweeter fruits need a sharpness to cut through the richness of the eggs and butter. If you are happy with a sweeter curd, you can reduce the amount of lemon juice.

Fruit Curd

Makes 3-4 jars

• 500 g fruit puree

• juice of 2 lemons

• 220 g caster sugar

• 150 g salted butter, cut into cubes

• 4 eggs, beaten, strained

If you are cooking the curd directly on the stovetop, combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over a very low heat. Use a silicon spatula to stir the mixture regularly. Take care not to boil the mixture. If you are using a double boiler, combine the ingredients in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir the mixture regularly, taking care not to boil the curd.

Continue cooking until the curd thickly coats the back of the spatula. This can take 30 minutes or longer, depending on how low the heat is. I prefer to cook it over a lower heat for a longer time. Remember, the curd will thicken as it cools. Remove from the heat and pour into sterilised jars, seal and cool before storing in the fridge.

Fruit Curd Ideas

• Raspberry or blackcurrant. The sharpness of raspberries and black currants makes these fruits an ideal choice.

• Apricots. Cook the apricots in a saucepan with about 50 ml of water before blending them.

• Apples. They make a surprisingly lovely curd. I make an apple caramel version where I replace the caster sugar with brown sugar. You could also do half brown and half white sugar and add half a teaspoon of mixed spice to make an apple pie flavour.

• Rhubarb. Try roasting the rhubarb with a couple of tablespoons of sugar to intensify the flavour. Don’t overcook it, you want it to be just soft. You might need to add a little water when you blend the fruit to create the right texture.

• Quince. Blend poached quince and a little of the poaching liquid to create a puree.

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Troubleshooting

If your curd fails to thicken, try cooking it for a little longer. It could be that the eggs haven’t been cooked for long enough. You can even recook it once it has cooled. If that fails, add an additional egg. Whisk the egg and pour it through a sieve into the curd and continue stirring.

If all else fails, you can thicken with a little cornflour, perhaps a heaped teaspoon mixed with water and poured into the curd. This might affect the colour and texture, but it will still taste delicious.

While you don’t need to stir continuously, you do need to stir the curd very regularly to ensure that you don’t get any lumps. If you do, take the curd off the heat and whisk vigorously until smooth before returning it to the heat and continuing to cook.

Grainy or gritty lemon curd is a result of the eggs curdling due to too high a heat or over-cooking. You can try using a stick blender to see if the texture improves, but really, there’s no coming back from overcooked eggs.

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Ways to Use Your Curd

• On toast.

• With cake. Sandwich a sponge. Swirl through cake batter before baking. Serve a simple pound cake with a dollop of curd.

• Fill small sweet tart cases and top with whipped cream.

• Fold through yoghurt, top porridge or rice pudding.

• Use as a layer in a trifle.

• Serve with pancakes or waffles.

• Top a cheesecake.

• Homemade ice cream with a ripple of fruit curd.