A New Twist on an Old Favorite: Grapefruit Curd

 

I’ve been making lemon curd for close to 30 years. Initially, I would make a batch and refrigerate it, as I couldn’t find directions on how to can it. It seemed so much more delicate than jam or preserves. And given that it has eggs and butter, I was a fairly new and nervous canner. I remember calling in to a radio show my dad listened to when a well-known chef was on discussing canning. Question asked and answered. From then on, I have made double and triple batches at one time and canned that lemon curd safely.

 

Three weeks ago, my brother picked about 20 pounds of Meyer lemons and we met in Oxnard for a long weekend, part of which was spent canning lemon curd. Fifteen jars of it! We have since been in the California desert visiting family and getting a bit of respite from the freezing mountain temps. 

 

My godmother lives in a gated community called The Citrus, and throughout the property are lemon, mandarin, orange, and grapefruit trees. Residents (and guests) are allowed to pick all the fruit they want. Since I had my handy dandy canner with me (doesn’t everyone travel with one?), I thought I would give grapefruit curd a try, given their abundance this time of year. 

 

These were lovely ruby red grapefruits, bursting with bright pink juice. I used roughly the same recipe as with lemon curd, with one exception. Grapefruit juice is fairly mild in its singular form, but when boiled down you get a much more intense flavor that works well in the curd. I also threw in a bit of lemon juice to brighten/complement the flavor just a bit.

 

Needless to say, it was a hit. I ate it straight from the jar, but am looking forward to going home and making some crumpets on which to serve it. Nothing like a good crumpet with all its holes filled with curd to make me swoon. And you will too.

 

So here it goes…..

 

Grapefruit Curd

2 cups fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice

¼ cup lemon juice

7 tablespoons grapefruit zest

1 pound sugar

1 stick butter

8 eggs, lightly beaten

 

Boil the grapefruit juice down until you have 1 cup.

Before eggs....look at that color!

 

Combine juice, zest, sugar, and butter in double boiler over simmering water until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. (I often use a very heavy bottom pan in lieu of a double boiler and it works if the heat is kept low enough and you stir constantly.)

 

Pour one ladleful of hot liquid into eggs, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Repeat at least twice to warm up the eggs and keep them from curdling. Once warm, whisk the egss into the hot mixture, stirring constantly. 

 

Cook, stirring, until thick (about 20 minutes). 

 

Remove from heat, cool, and store in the refrigerator. If you want to can these, it will take 20 minutes in a hot water bath 

 

YIELD: approximately 5 cups.