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Passion Fruit Curd

5.0

(1)

Passion fruit curd from cookbook Piecemeal
Photo by Kathryn Pauline

If you’ve got fresh passion fruit, all you need is a knife and a spoon to enjoy a delicious snack. But if you want to use that pulp in something, you’re best off turning it into a curd since passion fruit itself isn’t particularly easy to cook or bake with. This curd recipe can be made with either fresh or frozen pulp, as long as it’s 100% passion fruit. Make sure you leave those seeds in, as they add visual interest and a peppery crunch.

If you don’t have a food processor, you can whisk by hand, but you’ll need to whisk the eggs and sugar together first until completely smooth, otherwise you’ll end up with flecks of egg white in the finished product. Do not use a blender or you might pulverize the seeds. A food processor will just loosen the pulp while leaving the seeds whole.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    30 minutes

  • Yield

    Makes about 3½ cups (920 g)

Ingredients

1½ cups (350 g) passion fruit pulp
6 large eggs
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. (225 g) sugar
1⁄4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. (85 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

Preparation

  1. Place 1½ cups (350 g) passion fruit pulp, 6 large eggs, 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. (225 g) sugar, and 1⁄4 tsp. salt in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse several times, stopping once it’s completely combined. Place the mixture in a small saucepan and set over medium low heat. Whisk constantly until it thickens significantly. Gradually lower the heat and be careful not to let it overheat. It will start to thicken at around 140° and fully thicken at around 167°, which takes 10–15 minutes at medium-low. Don’t go over 180°. Once the curd reaches the target temperature and consistency, remove from the heat and immediately add 6 Tbsp. (85 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, whisking constantly until it disappears completely.

    Do Ahead: Passion fruit curd will keep in the fridge for about 7 days, but it’s best stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Cover of Piecemeal, featuring 4 different dishes
Reprinted with permission from Piecemeal by Kathryn Pauline, copyright Kathryn Pauline 2023. Photographs by Kathryn Pauline. Published by Chronicle Books. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.
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