Fruit Curd Food

LEMON CURD

Steps:

• Using a carrot peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.
• Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.
• Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at about 170 degrees F, or just below simmer. Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate.

FRUIT CURD

Steps:

• Whisk together the juice, zest, sugar, and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in the butter and cook over moderately-low heat, whisking frequently, until the curd is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 6 minutes. Strain the curd through a mesh strainer or sieve to remove any cooked egg bits. Transfer the curd to a bowl, cover its surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and chill at least 1 hour, until cold. Cook's Note: Try making curd with any citrus fruit, like limes, oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, etc. You can also make curd with purees of berries such as raspberries or blackberries.;

PASSION FRUIT CURD

Steps:

• Put the passion fruit pulp in a food processor and whizz to separate the seeds from all the juicy bits. Scrape into a sieve set over a medium saucepan, pushing through as much pulp as you can. Reserve 2 tbsp of the seeds, then discard the rest.
• Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and set over a low heat. Whisk until all the butter has melted then, using a wooden spoon, stir constantly until the passion fruit curd has thickened to a similar consistency as lemon curd. Don't be tempted to turn the heat up to speed up the process as the eggs will curdle; make sure you stir right around the edge, too, as this is where it might catch first.
• Sieve the curd into a clean bowl to get rid of any eggy bits that may have curdled. Stir in the reserved seeds and cool, before spooning into jars and chilling. Curd will keep in the fridge for a week. Eat smothered on hot buttered toast, crumpets or scones (see related recipes).