Apple Lemon Curd
Reprinted with permission from The River Cottage Preserves Handbook by Pam Corbin, copyright © 2008, 2010. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.” Photo credit: Gavin Kingcome © 2008
- Servings: Makes 4 8-ounce jars.
Most of us associate fruit curds with citrus like lemon or orange. But master preserver and author Pam Corbin has created something special by combining apple with lemon. This recipe is from her splendid book, The River Cottage Preserves Handbook, in which she declares its flavor "... like eating apples and custard: softly sweet, tangy, and quite, quite delicious."
While you can certainly immediately eat this curd, or refrigerate it for a few days, Ms. Corbin's book includes instructions for jarring the curd so that it can be kept for up to a month.
This is perfect to make in the winter when both apples and citrus are at their best.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
- Finely grated zest and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons (you need 7 tablespoons strained juice)
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons beaten eggs (4 or 5 large eggs)
Directions
- Put the chopped apples into a pan with 7 tablespoons of water and the lemon zest. Cook gently until soft and fluffy, then either beat to a purée with a wooden spoon or run through a food mill.
- Put the lemon juice, butter, sugar, and apple purée into a double boiler or heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. As soon as the butter has melted and the mixture is hot and glossy, pour in the eggs through a sieve, then whisk with a balloon whisk. If the fruit purée is too hot when the beaten egg is added, the egg will curdle. One way to guard against this is to check the temperature of the puree with a candy thermometer – it should be no higher than 130° to 140° F when the egg is added. If your curd does curdle, take the pan off the heat and whisk vigorously until smooth.
- Stir the mixture over low heat, scraping down the sides of the bowl every few minutes, until thick and creamy. This will take 9 to 10 minutes; the temperature should reach 180° to 183° F on a candy thermometer. Immediately pour into warm, sterilized jars and seal (follow the instructions in The River Cottage Preserves Handbook).
- Use within 1 month. Once opened, keep in the fridge.
Variations
To make gooseberry curd, replace the apples with gooseberries. If you’d like a traditional, pure lemon curd, leave out the apples, increase the lemon juice to 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 to 5 lemons) and add the grated zest of 2 or 3 more lemons.
