Blood Orange Curd

I feel pretty lucky to have friends who are wholeheartedly enthusiastic about food. Nothing reminds me of this quite so much as when we get together for brunch; we pull out the leaves on the table just so we can have as much space as possible to load down with food. Bagels with cream cheese and lox, omelets, hash browns, biscuits, scones, bacon, curried vegetables, fresh fruit, crepes… and the list goes on. Sometimes it’s a chance to get creative, sometimes an excuse for a feast, and always a welcome time to relax and chat with friends.

For our most recent brunch, I decided I wanted to make a blood orange curd to go with the crepes that my boyfriend was cooking. Of course, I managed to undercook my blood orange curd the first time around. As I shook my head with dismay and tried to hide the less than perfect results in the kitchen, my brunch companions excitedly spooned the “sauce” onto their crepes and reassured me that the flavor was still amazing. Nevertheless, I poured the concoction back into the saucepan after they’d left in a second attempt at thickening it up. Luckily, all I needed was a little more heat, and within minutes, I had my curd at the perfect consistency.

Blood oranges are nearing the end of their season sadly, so now is the chance to embrace them while you still can. If you’ve had lemon curd, you can guess at how delicious blood orange curd is (and if not, a curd is a smooth sweet and tart spread, thickened by eggs, similar to a custard). The flavors here are a bit more subtle than lemon curd; there’s still that citrus tang, only now it’s accompanied by light floral notes and a gorgeous dusty rose color. Crepes are not the only option for this curd; it will do equally well slathered on scones and shortbread or used as the filling for a tart.

Blood Orange Curd (adapted from Baked In)
Yield: approximately 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1/2 – 3/4 cup blood orange juice (from 4 blood oranges)
• 1 Tbsp blood orange zest (from 2 blood oranges)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar*
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, sliced into 8 pieces

*I like my jams and spreads a little on the less sweet side; if you have a sweet tooth, add a couple extra tablespoons of sugar.

Method:

1. In a medium (around 1 quart) saucepan, whisk together 1/2 – 3/4 cup blood orange juice (from 4 blood oranges), 1 Tbsp blood orange zest (from 2 blood oranges), 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 whole eggs, 2 egg yolks, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt.
2. Gently heat the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens considerably (enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon), about 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, and whisk in 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, sliced into 8 pieces.
4. Strain through a metal sieve, and let cool to room temperature. The curd will thicken slightly as it cools.
5. Serve cold or at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator; this curd should stay good for about two weeks.