10-Minute Stovetop Blood Orange Curd

It’s like I’m sandwiching the seasons with curd, somehow.  I talked about falling in love with my easy pink grapefruit curd as the cool, sunny spring days gave way to summer.  And now I’m clinging onto that feeling with this unique blood orange curd, as I cling to denial in a chilly, rainy fall taking a nosedive into true winter.

This recipe is similar to my pink grapefruit curd, in that I use a little less butter and go scant on sugar so as to not overpower the more delicate citrus flavor of the blood orange.  While a lemon or lime can really punch through, I find that orange, grapefruit, and blood orange are a little more subtle and need a lighter hand.

I ended up using 2 blood oranges…just the zest of one but most of the juice of both (about 1/3 cup total).  A little bit of extra lemon juice can help brighten just a bit, and a tiny pinch of salt just brings everything into balance.

The natural color of this curd will be a duller dark pink, possibly closer to a light brown.  You can add a tiny bit of pink or red gel coloring if you want it to be a brighter pink, red, or orange…I didn’t here, but it would be super easy.

Other citrus curds you’ll love:

Easy Lemon Curd

10-Minute Pink Grapefruit Curd

Add the sugar and egg to a small saucepan and whisk together until smooth. Then add the blood orange juice and zest and stir in quickly, and turn the stove on medium heat (no higher!!).

Whisk continuously. The mixture will become frothy as you whisk. When the liquid becomes hot enough to cook the egg, the mixture will begin to thicken and no more liquid will separate from the foam.  It will take at least 5 minutes of whisking over medium heat for the mixture to thicken, but will vary depending on your cookware.

When it’s ready, the mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Don’t be tempted to turn the heat up too high or continue thickening too much after this.

Remove the pot from the heat. Add one tablespoon of butter at a time, whisking until each has fully melted into the sauce before adding the next.

As the butter is melted into the sauce, it will become less frothy and more silky in texture, and look more glossy rather than foamy.

Once all of the butter has been whisked in, transfer the curd to an air-tight container and refrigerate until completely cooled. The curd will thicken further upon cooling, becoming a more solid creamy texture.

Mmmm…light, rich, citrus-y goodness!  The texture of the blood orange curd is very creamy and thick, making it perfect for sandwiching a cake.

This blood orange curd drafting off a basic stovetop curd recipe has become a total obsession for me, because it’s so simple and so versatile.  The curd itself is so perfect for a ton of different things…from crepes to sandwiching cape fillings to swirling through yogurt to…eating straight off the spoon.

A couple tools that make this recipe even easier are a microplane zester and simple juicer…they’re staples in my kitchen and make the prep for this crazy simple.

Other citrus goodness you’ll love:

• A Classic ‘Army & Navy’ Gin Cocktail
• Citrus Cake with Marmalade Filling and Lemon-Orange Icing
• Lemon White Chocolate Lava Cakes
• November Cakes (a.k.a. Gooey Delicious Orange Buns)
• Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting

Adapted from Budget Bytes

Easy 10-Minute Blood Orange Curd

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes

Total Time: 8 minutes

This super easy blood orange curd is tart and sweet, coming together in just 10 minutes on the stove (no double boiler). Use it to sandwich in pavlovas, cupcakes, crepes, cakes, or anything else!

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Ingredients

• Scant 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1 large (whole) egg
• 1/3 cup of fresh blood orange (1-2 blood oranges)
• Zest of 1 blood orange
• 3 1/2 tablespoons of butter
• Optional: a TINY pinch of salt and a tiny bit of lemon juice

Instructions

1. Add the sugar and egg to a small saucepan and whisk together until smooth. Then add the blood orange juice and zest, and turn the stove on medium heat. I find that just the tiniest bit of salt and a tiny bit of lemon juice bring something just a bit EXTRA to this as well.
2. Whisk continuously. The mixture will become frothy as you whisk. When the liquid becomes hot enough to cook the egg, the mixture will begin to thicken and no more liquid will separate from the foam.
3. It will take at least 5 minutes of whisking over medium heat for the mixture to thicken, but will vary depending on your cookware. The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Don't be tempted to turn the heat up too high.
4. Remove the pot from the heat. Add one tablespoon of butter at a time, whisking until each has fully melted into the sauce before adding the next. As the butter is melted into the sauce, it will become less frothy and more silky in texture, and look more glossy rather than foamy.
5. Once all of the butter has been whisked in, transfer the curd to an air-tight container and refrigerate until completely cooled. The curd will thicken further upon cooling.

Notes

• Don't use aluminum cookware, as it will react with the citrus juice
• It helps to stir together the sugar and egg first, before adding the lemon juice and then putting it on the heat...the acidity can "cook" the egg a bit, causing those tiny bits of white cooked egg that need sieved out.
• You definitely want to use fresh blood orange juice for this. If you want it to look a darker orange/pink, you can add a TINY bit of gel food coloring (I didn't bother)

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