As you will have guessed by now I am an avid Gooseberry devorer always on the lookout for new ways of preparing them. This summer a new addition to the ‘book’ has emerged in the form of a delicious and very moreish curd. Many of us know and love a lemon curd and of late many sorts of curd have emerged, none as truly fabulous as the original but not bad. THIS curd though melds the two and is completely divine and the secret ingredient makes it perfection.
Ingredients: Makes 7 or 8 1lb (454g) jars
1kg Gooseberries (ripe and less ripe are fine to mix)
150ml lemon juice
50ml elderflower cordial – I used a a good splosh but it was about 50ml – SECRET INGREDIENT
250g unsalted butter
900g granualted sugar – I used raw cane which makes the curd slighty deeper yellow
400ml beate, strained eggs – around 8/9
Method:
no topping and tialing required unles you like doing it, place in pan with lemon juice and cordial bring gently to the boil and simmer for 10 mins. Or until gooseberries start to lose their shape and go pulpy. At this moment put 2 saucers in the feezer for later. Rub this mixture through a fine sieve to get a smooth gooseberry puree.
Add the puree, butter and sugar to a large basin over a pan of simmering water (ban marie) stiring until the butter and sugar melt together with the puree into a smooth mixture. Take it off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes before adding the eggs. Too hot and the eggs will cook like a scamble! If you can easily stand the heat with your finger it should be fine.
Steadily pour in the beaten eggs, stirring all the time. I used a ballon whisk for this keping the mixture moving steadily as the egg went in. It blends quite easily. Return the bowl to sit over the simmering pan and stir constantly until the mix is thick and creamy. Start testing for set as soon as the mixture noticeably thickens, honestly this took me about an hour, it’s a large quantity to mix. If you hve a sugar thermomenter it should register above 82C, I don’t use mine and did the usual cold plate/fridge testing method, depending on your preferred set when you run your finger through it you want a straight line to hold.
note is the curd begins to scramble take it off the heat and whisk vigorously until smooth, reducing the heat if you need to cook it a bit more. Slow and steady is more effective for curds than hot and fast.
As soon as you have reached thickening point remove your jars from the oven and bottle your curd immediately, I use a jam funnel to stop spillages, who’d want to waste a drop of this heaven?! Lids on asap and screw them tightly shut.
Use the curd in 4 weeks, once opened jars need to go in the fridge and use within 1 week – not much chance of it lasting that long.
It’s delicious frankly on anything or simply eaten off a spoon! I use a little (a lot!) mixed with whipped double cream under the fruit on a pavlova, Mum’s trick. I give it as a present but only to people I really love and feel are worthy of this marvel.