Perfectly Golden Passionfruit Curd

To my way of thinking, if you are lucky enough to have passionfruit growing or if you are given some by a friend like I was, then it's compulsory to not only eat some, but also to make some passionfruit curd. Here's how it went, and two delicious jars later I was thrilled with the result. This is a precious commodity, and the store bought stuff just doesn't taste like this does. Each month for me it's all about cooking with whatever is fresh and in season and whatever happens to arrive in my kitchen as a gift is a bonus. 

  It is only just August, but already there are little hints of Spring being just around the corner. There are occasional warm days in amongst our chilly ones and already shoots and tiny buds are appearing on our trees. Recently we pruned back our potted Mulberry tree, and already there are shoots and small mulberries appearing which is very exciting. Perhaps we will have a small crop of mulberries this Spring.  Unfortunately we just don't seem to be able to grow our own passionfruit well, so I rely on the local markets or donations. This recipe is from the wonderful Stephanie Alexander's recipe, her recipe book The Cook's Companion is never far from my kitchen.

Let's cook:

If like mine, the passionfruit you have aren't absolutely full of pulp, add the pulp of a few more to the saucepan. When I was stirring the eggs and pulp into the butter mixture waiting for the magic to happen I still didn't think there was quite enough pulp and seeds in the mixture, so I added the pulp of a couple more at that point and it worked perfectly.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
60 g butter
2 eggs, well beaten
pulp of 6 passionfruit

Method:

• Sterilise two small jars for this recipe and keep them hot in the oven.
• Stir the sugar and the butter in a small saucepan over a low to moderate heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. 

• Add the beaten eggs and the passionfruit pulp and keep stirring continuously over a low heat until the mixture thickens. This process might seem to be taking ages, then all of a sudden it happens quickly.

• Pour into your hot, sterilised jars and store for up to 2 weeks, until used. However mine sometimes store up to a month in the refrigerator.

This recipe is suitable for making small batches if you don't have a lot of passionfruit or need a couple of jars specifically for another recipe. However if you want to make a large batch and have lemons as well, my recipe which I sometimes make and which is also delicious will make enough for gift giving as well. You can find my other recipe here. They both taste delicious eaten straight from the spoon.

If I can get my hands on some more passionfruit whilst they are in season,  I'll be making the long-time favourite, pavlova filled with unsweetened whipped cream and absolutely smothered with passionfruit. This dessert always brings smiles to faces around the world. 

Thanks for dropping by and have a wonderful week.

Best wishes

Pauline