Day 72: Orange Curd

Orange Curd
   

Day Seventy-Two (31.07.2012)
Processing: N/A [Refrigerator or Freezer only]
Yield: 6 x half-pints (6 cups)

Recipe Source: based upon The Australian Women's Weekly "Preserves" cookbook Lemon Curd recipe
     
After successfully making several jars of yummy lemon curd (recipe HERE) I was given some lovely fresh oranges. So I thought I would substitute the oranges for the lemons in the original recipe, as I love all things orange flavoured! So the oranges were free (swapped a jar of jam for oranges), eggs are from our chickens so I only had to buy a little sugar to make this today. Now using our chicken eggs compared to shop eggs, the curd is a deeper orange colour, with shop-bought eggs it may be a light yellow to light orange colour.
           
This recipe is not shelf-stable, and must be stored in the refrigerator (2-3 weeks) or freezer (12 months). I love this recipe because it uses just the egg yolks - many other curd recipes I found used whole eggs, and this one makes a lovely gooey, delicious orange spread perfect to add onto hot scones, toast, pikelets, muffins, in mini tarts or as the filling for a meringue pie! This made approximately 6 cups of orange curd.  
      

Ingredients:

18 egg yolks
3 cups caster sugar
250g (7 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons finely grated orange rind (approx 2 oranges)
540ml (2 cups + 3 tablespoons) fresh or bottled 100% orange juice
   
Prepare ingredients.
Firstly prepare all of your ingredients, starting with separating your eggs. There are several ways to separate eggs, but the easiest (and quickest) is to have a large, medium and small bowl on hand. Crack the egg in half, separate the egg yolk from the white using the egg shells (scoop the yolk from one eggshell half to the other), letting the white drip into the small bowl. Place the yolk into the large bowl, and the white goes into the medium bowl. Repeat, one egg at a time so you can remove eggshell pieces or bits of yolk so you have all of the egg yolks in the large bowl. Freeze the egg whites or refrigerate and use them the next day in an omelette (or meringue). Wash the oranges, scrubbing gently to remove any dirt, then finely grate the rind from about 2 oranges. To get the orange juice, I used my electric juicer but you could use a manual juicer. I needed about 3 large oranges.
    


Pre-heat jars.

For each batch, you'll want to pre-heat your jars (I use half pint or pint jars) by covering in water and simmering for about 10 minutes. Heat the seals and rings by covering with hot water. While the jars heat, prepare the curd.   
      
Make the curd.
In a large saucepan/pot, add the sugar to the egg yolks, whisking well until combined. Add the other ingredients to the pot, whisking to combine. Whisk every few minutes over medium heat until butter has melted. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes, as mixture thickens. Turn the heat off and stir for another minute. 
     

Ladle hot curd into hot jars.
Ladle into hot half-pint jars (or pint or quart if for pie-filling), leaving a 1 inch headspace (this allows room for expansion during freezing). Wipe rims and seal immediately. Allow to cool before labelling and refrigerating (will keep for 2-3 weeks) or freezing (up to 12 months).