Passionfruit Curd

Makes approx 1-1/2C

 

I love the flavor of passionfruit with its tartness and taste of the tropics. When I am in Brazil, I have fresh passionfruit juice every day. There the fresh passionfruits are readily available, huge and super cheap as opposed to here where they are tiny little golf ball sized nuggets that cost a fortune. 

Fortunately we can buy frozen pulp in the Goya frozen food section of our supermarkets and it works just as well for this recipe as the fresh and has the added benefit of not having any seeds to remove. 

Try this super easy recipe next time you need a filling for a cake or are making strawberry shortcakes. It takes all of 10 minutes to cook and should be made a day in advance so it has time to thicken and chill.  The curd makes a wonderful extra addition instead of just a bit of plain whipped cream. As you can see from the picture above I used a layer of the curd along with strawberries and whipped cream for this delicious take on a Strawberry Sponge Cake. 

  

2 large whole organic eggs

225g/8 oz granulated sugar

200g/7oz frozen passionfruit pulp , thawed or the equivalent amount of fresh pulp

112/4oz unsalted butter, cut into 1/2"/1cm pieces.

1.    Whisk together the eggs and sugar until smooth then add the passionfruit purée and whisk together until well blended.

2.    Pour the mixture into a heavy bottomed stainless steel pot ( do not use aluminum or cast iron as it will make the curd taste metallic.) and place over a medium high flame stirring constantly.

3.       Add the butter bit by bit whisking constantly until the curd thickens and reaches 180F/82C then immediately remove from the heat while continuing to whisk so the curd won't curdle. The curd will not seem very thick but will thicken up when cold.

4.    Have a large bowl filled with ice and water ready and place the pot into the cold water to stop the cooking and speed the chilling of the curd stirring with a silicone spatula. 

5.    After the curd has cooled down to room temperature, put a piece of plastic film directly on top of the curd and place into the refrigerator to completely chill and thicken. When the curd is completely cold, spoon into a clean container with a tight lid and reserve until use. The curd will last once week in the refrigerator.

The curd can be used as a filling for cakes, biscuits, scones or tarts.