Sweet and Tart Passionfruit Curd
Delicious spread on toast, scones, between layers of cake, in a pastry or even atop gelato, this sweet and tart passionfruit curd has just the right bite of sour with sweet and is both beautiful and tasty. It’s magical watching this curd slowly thicken just from the low stovetop heat. The color is a vibrant yellow and the taste is the perfect balance of sweet and sour. We adore this recipe from British food writer and chef, Nigella Lawson, and you will too!
Passionfruit are pretty interesting in their natural state. They have a texturally light, airy shell encasing dark seeds and bright citrusy pulp. Pierce each passionfruit with the tip of a knife and then slice in half. Use a spoon to easily scoop out the curd. Blitzing in a food processor for a moment or two loosens the seeds and allows for easy straining.
You’ll want to use fine caster sugar if you have it for this recipe — it creates the smoothest texture in your curd and adds the perfect sweetness.
Once you have your melted butter, egg-sugar mixtures, and passionfruit juice in your sauce plan, keep your stovetop heat on low and be patient. Some mild heat will come off your liquid and it will take at least 10 minutes for the curd to start to come together and thicken. Ours usually takes close to 15+ minutes. You’ll know because it will noticeably thicken almost all at once.
We also like to quickly make a half portion of this recipe. You may never have had curd, but once you do you will think of new and creative ways to use it! We like it on toast, muffins or scones; piped into cupcakes or used as a layer in cakes; on top of ice cream or gelato; or used in a pastry or pie. Truly addictive. Sweet and tart passionfruit curd is both lovely to look at and impressive to taste!
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Passionfruit Curd
Ingredients
- 11 passionfruit
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 150 grams caster sugar
- 100 grams unsalted butter
Instructions
- Split the passionfruit and put the seeded pulp into a food processor. Blitz a few times quickly just to loosen the seeds. Strain into a bowl. Keep both portions
- In a stand or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together until well combined
- Melt the butter over low heat in a sauce pan. Stir in the sugar-egg mixture and the juice of the passionfruit (only) and cook gently, stirring often until thickened. This will take some time. Keep your heat on low and be patient. Normally this process takes between 10 and 20 minutes. It will thicken noticeably
- Remove from the heat and stir in passionfruit seeds and pulp. (You can skip this step if you'd like a seedless curd.) Let cool slightly. Then jar and store in the refrigerator for several days. If not using, you may also freeze in a container with some air at the top
Notes
- Caster sugar is extremely fine sugar made especially for baking and desserts. You can find it online or at most grocers in the baking aisle. Granulated sugar will affect the texture, but you can substitute 1 cup caster for 1 cup 2 tsp granulated in a pinch
- If you’d like your curd seedless, omit the final step of adding the seeds and pulp
- Be patient during the stovetop process – the curd will be liquid for quite a while and then suddenly begin to thicken. The heat should remain low, and the curd should not boil or simmer
- Need ideas for curd? On top of cookies, muffins, scones and toast. Piped into cupcakes as filling. Mixed into buttercream icing atop cake or cupcakes. In a pastry shell. On top of ice cream or gelato.
Nutrition
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