Fruit curd facts for kids
Homemade lemon curd
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| Type | Spread |
|---|---|
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | England |
| Main ingredients | Egg yolks, sugar, fruit juice and zest (lemons, limes, oranges, or raspberries) |
Fruit curd is a yummy, creamy spread often used in desserts. It's made from fruits like lemons, limes, oranges, or grapefruit. You can also find curds made with passion fruit, mango, or berries like raspberries.
To make fruit curd, you mix egg yolks, sugar, fruit juice, and fruit zest. These ingredients are cooked slowly until the mixture becomes thick and smooth. After cooling, it turns into a soft, tasty spread. Sometimes, recipes also add egg whites or butter for extra richness.
Contents
The History of Fruit Curd
Fruit curd has a long history, especially in England. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, people often made lemon curd at home. It was a popular treat served during afternoon tea.
How Fruit Curd Was Used
People enjoyed fruit curd with bread or scones. It was a tasty alternative to jam. It was also used as a delicious filling for cakes, small pastries, and tarts.
Keeping Curd Fresh
Homemade fruit curd didn't last as long as jam. So, people usually made it in small batches. Today, thanks to refrigerators, we can make and store larger amounts. Curds bought from stores often have extra ingredients to help them last even longer.
Fruit Curd Today
Today, fruit curds are still very popular. You can spread them on many different foods. They are great on bread, scones, toast, waffles, crumpets, and pancakes. Some people even use them to flavor cheesecake or yogurt.
Popular Desserts with Curd
One famous dessert is lemon meringue pie. This pie uses lemon curd as its main filling. It's topped with fluffy meringue. This dessert has been a favorite in many countries since the 1800s. You can also mix whipped cream into lemon curd to fill cream puffs.
How Curd is Different
Fruit curds are special because they have a lot of fruit juice and zest. This gives them a stronger, fruitier taste than other fillings. Curds that contain butter are also very smooth and creamy.
Curd vs. Custard
Unlike custards, fruit curds usually have little or no cornstarch or flour for thickening. Also, people usually don't eat curds all by themselves. They are meant to be a spread or a filling.
Gallery
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Vegan lemon curd
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Orange curd
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See also
In Spanish: Crema de fruta para niños
