blood orange curd

the marmalade is delicious but at the moment it is this blood orange curd that i am smitten with. the colour is gorgeous – a combination of the vibrant blood oranges and burford brown egg yolks, which are always wonderfully orange.

this is the first recipe i have made using diana henry’s salt sugar smoke, a book which focuses on “how to preserve fruit, vegetables, meat and fish” and which is full of incredible sounding treats. pear and chestnut jam. apricot and lavender jam. chilli sherry. earl grey tea jelly. georgia. plum sauce. quince sorbet. whisky and brown sugar cured gravalax. i could go on!

this curd recipe is different from ones i’ve made before in that it only uses the egg yolks – i am used to using both yolks and whites – and i wonder if this is why it has a slightly softer set than i am used to. or i just impatient and didn’t cook it long enough.

either way, it looks beautiful and i’m planning to use it in a victoria sponge, with mascarpone, before long. i also have thoughts of eton mess and pavlova.

diana henry’s blood orange curd (makes 1 x 225g jar)

4 egg yolks, lightly beaten

70g caster sugar

80ml blood orange juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

80g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

put all the ingredients into a bowl and stir it together, set over a pan of simmering water, taking care to ensure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. stir with a wooden spoon until it first melts, then thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. this can take 30 minutes. don’t overheat or the eggs will curdle.

push through a nylon sieve then pot the cud in warm, dry, sterilised jars, cover with waxed paper discs (i didn’t) and seal. cool then refrigerate for up to two weeks. once open, eat within three days.