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The Best Orange Curd

orange curd
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Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup [150g] granulated sugar
  • 2 Tbsp orange zest
  • 1/3 cup [80g] lemon juice*
  • 4 Tbsp [55g] unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

Instructions

  1. Add the eggs, sugar, orange zest, and lemon juice to a blender or large food processor. Run for about 20 seconds to mix thoroughly. It should have no visible streaks of egg white.
  2. Once the eggs have blended in completely, transfer to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until it thickens significantly, being careful not to let it overheat and lower the heat gradually as it progresses. It will thicken at about 167 to 170°F [75 to 77°C], which takes about 10 minutes** to reach. Do not let it exceed 180°F [82°C].
  3. As soon as the curd thickens, remove from heat and immediately add the butter and whisk constantly until the butter melts completely.
  4. Chill completely.***

Storage: Store it in the fridge for 5 to 10 days, or in the freezer for much longer. In my freezer, it stays soft enough to scoop and lasts for months.

See the lemon curd video in this post for an example of how you might use this recipe. If the video does not appear in the intro, please disable ad block.

Notes

* This is not a typo—we’re using 100% lemon juice (0% orange juice) so that our curd turns out tart instead of bland and watery. We get all the orange flavor we need from the orange zest. See the whole explanation above the recipe if you’re curious how this works.

** This recipe is written for gas. If using induction, it will likely move much more quickly than this. If using electric, you may want to use a double boiler for this (if you do not, please note that times will vary wildly and unpredictably, and your curd may, well, curdle!)

***If you’re using this in a fruit tart (or something where you want it to set up in the baked good rather than in the jar), pour it directly into the baked shell while the curd is still hot and then chill the whole thing.

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Find it online: https://cardamomandtea.com/93377/the-best-orange-curd/