Have you ever tried passion fruit curd? If your answer is no, it’s time to change that! Passion fruit curd is a magical substance. It’s sweet and tart, and will make you feel like you’re on a tropical vacation. It only requires a few ingredients and a little bit of patience, but will enhance your life so much.
What is passion fruit curd?
Fruit curd is a sweet spread made with sugar, eggs, butter and fruit juice. The most common version (at least in my experience) is lemon curd. It can be made with a number of fruits, though! Citrus fruits are particularly good candidates because of their juice and zest, but plenty of other varieties exist. Passion fruit works extremely well for curd, but I’ve also seen mango, berry, and even tomato curds!
What can I use this curd for?
Oh, the possibilities are endless here! Curd is commonly served with scones as an alternative to jam. You can also use it on toast (or French toast!), or in baked goods. This passion fruit curd would be amazing in a layer cake. Or injected into a donut. It’d be great in cookies (think thumbprint or Linzer), sandwiched in a macaron, or in pies and pavlovas. I’ll actually be sharing a new pavlova recipe that uses this curd soon, so keep an eye out for that.
Honestly, though, you’ll want to put this on everything. And you should! I also encourage eating it with a spoon.
Should I use fresh or frozen passion fruit?
Both fresh and frozen passion fruit will work great here. The quality of fresh fruit might be better, but frankly, frozen will be easier to use. When using frozen, you don’t have to go through the tedious process of removing the fruit from its shell and straining out the seeds. Technically, you can use the seeds in curd. But I personally prefer a smooth and creamy curd, so I strain them out before cooking it.
Let’s talk about equipment and double boiling.
As is often the case, you can make passion fruit curd in different ways. I opted for the double boiler method, because it’s harder to mess up. Do we really need the stress of a complicated technique? No, no we do not.
To make this curd, use a non-reactive double boiler. Stainless steel, glass, and enameled cast iron should all be fine, but you’ll want to steer clear of aluminum or regular cast iron. Using reactive cookware in a recipe like this can make it taste metallic, which is less than ideal, especially for a recipe with this much constant stirring. If you don’t have a proper double boiler, use a makeshift one! That’s what I did here, as I suspected my regular one might be aluminum. To do this, simply add a couple inches of water to a saucepan and bring it to a boil, quickly reducing it to a simmer. Then, place a heat safe, non-reactive bowl on top of it, and add your ingredients to that. This technique will allow your curd to cook slowly and evenly. It’ll also reduce the risk of accidentally scrambling your eggs.
Finally, you’ll want to make sure that your whisk is also non-reactive. I believe stainless steel is standard for metal whisks, but you can also use silicone here.
Passion Fruit Curd
Equipment
- Non-reactive double boiler
- Metal or silicone whisk
- Plastic wrap
Ingredients
- 2 Large eggs
- 3/4 cup Granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Passion fruit pulp
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 6 tbsp Unsalted butter Sliced into 6 pieces
Instructions
- Pour an inch or two of water into the base of your double boiler (a medium sized saucepan will do if you don't have one) and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and let simmer.
- Add the eggs, sugar, passion fruit, and salt to a non-reactive bowl or double boiler and whisk until combined and smooth. Place the bowl on your double boiler base and whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. This should take about 8-10 minutes.
- Add one piece of butter at a time and continue to whisk continuously until it's all incorporated. This may take a few minutes.
- Remove from heat and strain into your jar or container of choice using a fine mesh sieve. Place a piece of plastic onto the top of the curd. It should actually be touching the curd. This will prevent a skin from forming on top. Once it's cool, remove the plastic wrap and add a lid. Then refrigerate.
Notes
If you make this recipe, I really hope that you love it! I know I did. Let me know what you think in the comments or on Instagram! It always makes my day when I get to hear from you or see your creations.
Looking for more delicious passion fruit recipes? Try my easy passion fruit vinaigrette or my passion fruit and jasmine sorbet. Or if you’re patient and a fan of spicy foods, try my fermented passion fruit and habanero hot sauce!
