Blood Orange Curd

Blood oranges have been popping up at the farmers' markets recently. I've never tried them before so I bought a couple. They sat on the bench through all the bustle of moving, looking at me reproachfully. Just before the kitchen went into boxes, I found a recipe for a tart filled with blood orange curd in a Donna Hay Magazine.

I didn't make the actual tart, just the curd to use my oranges.

There were two large stalls selling blood oranges at the farmers' market I bought these from, and the ones I ended up buying weren't as gloriously red as the ones from the other store. As you can see above, these were only motley. The juice turned out a beautiful colour though, so bright and vibrant!


I stole some of the juice and served it diluted with soda water for a bit of a refresher. I don't know what I was expecting, but it was yum!!!

The blood orange curd was really easy to make too. I don't think I let it thicken for long enough, as it was a bit on the runny side. The recipe says to serve the tarts with cream, but I felt that the curd was creamy enough to hold up on its own. The flavour was nice and subtle.

The curd was one of the few things in the refrigerator that was transferred to the new house. I'm still working out the lighting for the pictures. While the kitchen seems very bright, the photos seem to be turning out really really dark. You can still get the idea though.


Blood Orange Curd
From Donna Hay Magazine Aug/Sep 2008 p150

6 egg yolks
1/2 cup (125ml) blood orange juice, strained
1 1/2 tbs lemon juice
3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
70g cold butter, chopped

Place the egg yolks, orange juice, lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan over low heat and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, for 8-10 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat and gradually add the butter, stirring well after each addition. Pour into a bowl, press some plastic wrap or baking paper onto the surface so it is completely covered and refrigerate for 1 hour or until thickened.