Dame Catherine Sloman
- Makes 1 medium jar
- 2 blood oranges
- 3 medium eggs
- 25g unsalted butter
- 175g caster sugar
- 1 tsp cornflour
- Lemon juice optional
It’s the season of Blood Oranges and we only have a short window to make the most of them.
“You can easily spot a blood orange – they have a lovely distinctive dark red rind and flesh. Sweet and citrusy, they work well with both sweet and savoury dishes. Great in a salad and delicious in a tart or a cake. And irresistible in this blood-orange curd.
Like lemon curd, but a little sweeter. Great on toast or perhaps a scone, it also makes a lovely addition to a winter pavlova.
And for an elegant Swiss roll, as required by my daughter for her birthday, it is perfect folded into some whipped cream and piled into the cake before rolling it up.”
The curd is quick to make and lasts for a couple of weeks in the fridge.
Method
Zest both oranges and put the zest to one side.
Place the juice of one orange in the saucepan, with the eggs, butter, sugar and cornflour.
Simmer on a low heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon. The mixture will gradually thicken until it coats the back of the spoon – keep an eye on it, you don’t want scrambled eggs!
Once you have a thick consistency, sieve the mixture into a mixing bowl.
Fold in the zest of the two oranges.
Gradually add remaining juice until you’re happy with the flavour and add a little lemon juice if the curd is too sweet for your liking.