Bramley Lemon Curd... |
I forgot to mention that whilst looking out of the window a couple of days I spotted a male bullfinch in the garden! Now, we haven't seen finches here for ages, so it was really exciting! I am sure there was a female there too, so fingers crossed they are nesting nearby and that they have a brood of chicks!
Right, the dog now wants his walk, so I better had put on my wellies and rain coat...
Bramley Lemon Curd (as published on www.rivercottage.net)
Servings: makes 5 x 225g jars
Ingredients:
- 450g Bramley apples, peeled, cored and chopped
- Finely grated zest and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons (you need 100ml strained juice)
- 125g unsalted butter
- 450g granulated sugar
- 4–5 large eggs, well beaten (you need 200ml beaten egg)
- Put the chopped apples into a pan with 100ml water and the lemon zest. Cook
- gently until soft and fluffy, then either beat to a purée with a wooden spoon or rub
- through a nylon sieve.
- Put the butter, sugar, lemon juice 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, and whisk with a balloon whisk.
- If the fruit purée is too hot when the beaten egg is added, the egg will ‘split’.
- One way to guard against this is to check the temperature of the purée with a sugar
- thermometer – it should be no higher than 55–60°C when the egg is added.
- If your curd does split, take the pan off the heat and whisk vigorously until smooth.
- Stir the mixture over a gentle heat, scraping down the sides of the bowl every few minutes, until thick and creamy.
- This will take 9–10 minutes; the temperature should reach 82–84°C on a sugar thermometer.
- Immediately pour into warm, sterilised jars and seal.
- Use within 4 weeks. Once opened, keep in the fridge.
To make gooseberry curd, replace the apples with gooseberries. If you’d like to go for
a traditional, pure lemon curd, simply leave out the apples, increase the lemon juice
to 200ml (4–5 lemons) and add the grated zest of 2–3 lemons.
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