A clever writer friend of mine described the flavour of curd as fluorescent velvet and he’s absolutely right: the contrast of the sharp citrus against the buttery smoothness is dazzling and delicious. I normally use lemon juice in gooseberry curd but limes were all I had, and the result is lovely. This is adapted from a gooseberry curd recipe by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall that appeared in the Guardian many years ago. Just scale the recipe up or down, according to the size of your gooseberry haul. Serve with meringue or slathered on good toast.
Makes one medium jar
200g gooseberries, stalks removed
45ml lime juice (about two small limes)
50g unsalted butter
180g caster sugar
80g strained beaten egg, around 2 medium eggs
Place the gooseberries in a small pan with the lemon juice. Cook over a medium heat until the lemon juice starts to simmer, then reduce the heat and cover. Cook for a minute or so, shaking the pan, until the fruit breaks down. Remove the lid and continue cooking until the gooseberries have collapsed completely to make a puree.
Pour the puree through a wire sieve into a medium heatproof bowl that will fit on top of a pan without touching the bottom. Add the butter and sugar and stir.
Sit the bowl on top of a pan of gently simmering water and stir until the sugar has dissolved completely and the butter has melted.
Carefully remove the pan from the heat and the bowl from the pan and let it sit for a few minutes to cool a little. Add the butter to the bowl, the bowl to the pan and the pan to a gentle heat.
Stir continuously until the mixture thickens enough to leave ‘ribbons’ or a trail on the surface of the curd that keeps its shape and doesn’t melt away immediately. For me, this took a good 15 minutes, so be patient,
Pour into a clean jar and keep refrigerated - it will be good for a week or so. If you’re making larger quantities, ensure the jars are clean and sterilised, store in the fridge and use within 4 weeks.