passionfruit curd

When I was a teenager, we learnt how to make lemon curd in home economics and I loved the tangy, rich results. Ever since, I’ve wanted to make passionfruit curd instead, but for some reason I always put it in the too hard basket.

Well, it turns out it isn’t that hard at all! I made passionfruit curd this evening and it took about 20 minutes to prep the passionfruit pulp and make the curd. Too easy.

The results were thick and sour-sweet, and fragrant with passionfruit pungency.

Passionfruit Curd
Recipe from Gourmet Traveller December 2008. Makes 1½ cups (375ml).
Ingredients:
250ml passionfruit pulp (about 12 large passionfruit)
6 egg yolks
55g (¼ cup) caster sugar
150g salted butter, coarsely chopped, softened

Method:
1. Process pulp in a food processor to release pulp from seeds, then strain through a fine strainer to yield 250ml juice.

2. Transfer to a heatproof bowl, add egg yolks, sugar and butter. Whisk to combine.

3. Stir continuously over a saucepan of simmering water until thickened (3-5 minutes).

4. Cover with plastic wrap, set aside to cool, then refrigerate until firm (2-3 hrs).

This curd could be used for a myriad of desserts like:
• Spooned into shortcrust pastry for a heady passionfruit tart
• Swirled through vanilla ice cream for passionfruit ripple
• Stuffed between cake layers for a passionfruit sponge
• Piped into the folds of crepes

This is my first completed Food Challenge for 2010 and my first Weekend Herb Blogging contribution too.

Our WHB host for this week is another Anna, from the blog Anna’s Cool Finds. Visit her blog for the recap.

My WHB ingredient is, of course, the passionfruit. Another amazing contribution to the culinary world from the bounty that is the American continent. The passionfruit is native to Brazil and Argentina, but they grow so well in Australia.

As a kid we had passionfruit vines and when they fruited we were inundated with little purple globes of tangy pulp. I’d go for a swim and on my way inside from the pool I’d break off a few fruit and bring them inside for my mum to cut through the tough shell and expose the brightly coloured pulp. Then I’d gorge.

We’d have so many passionfruit that my parents were always trying to give them away. They were weeds in our garden.

This goes a long way to explaining why I feel slightly put out when I have to pay $1 per fruit at the supermarket. But this week I got them en masse for very little so I decided to make the most of it.

Here are some other recipes putting passionfruits to good use:
Passionfruit Coconut Cupcakes - Not Quite Nigella
Passionfruit Ice Cream - Trembom
Passionfruit Ganache Truffles - Morsels & Musings
Passionfruit Jam - Cooks Cottage
Passionfruit Marshmallows - Morsels & Musings
Passionfruit Mousse - Laylita's Recipes
Passionfruit Pannacotta - The Scent of Green Bananas
Passionfruit Parfait - Delicious Days
Passionfruit Slice - Morsels & Musings
Passionfruit Soufflé - Cookbook Catchall
Passionfruit Tart - Treat A Week

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_edulis