So, remember when I talked about Mike’s breakfast phases? He blew through apples, smoothies, oatmeal, and high fiber cereal. And now he’s taken on oranges. I think this is his longest breakfast obsession though, since it actually started last winter before we left for vacation. (I’m just shocked that we’ve been able to get good quality oranges so late in the year! Usually by mid-April or so they lose their sweet, seductively delicious quality.)
Anyway, due to Mike’s obsession coupled with the fact that we can still get decent oranges, not a day goes by without him eating three or four. Or sometimes five…no joke! (As far as I know, it isn't possible to OD on vitamin C...right?) Which means that I need to have a constant supply of oranges in the house. Short of planting my own orange grove, this is no small feat.
One rainy day I felt like cooking…and I happened to glance over at the kitchen table and see a huge bowl of beautiful oranges looking up at me. I had a few egg yolks in the fridge (leftover from making buttercream for this cake) and after a little online inspiration I decided to make orange curd.
This was my first attempt at making fruit curd and it turned out great in the end. But there was a slight issue…I pulled the curd off the heat once it was thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon but once it was cool it hadn’t thickened up as nicely as I hoped it would. After doing a bit of research online, I found a recipe for making curd entirely in the microwave. I decided to microwave the curd in 20 second intervals on high (stirring in between) to see if it would thicken up…which happily, it did!
(Another great online resource for making curd is this article by Williams Sonoma.)
Orange Curd (Inspired by The Kitchn’s recipe for Cara Cara Orange Curd and saved by All Recipes’ method for Microwave Lemon Curd)
(Yield: About ⅔ cup)
⅓ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (juice from 1 ripe, medium-sized orange)
Zest from 1 orange (about 1 teaspoon)
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pinch salt
In a medium thick-bottomed saucepan over low heat, whisk together the juice, zest, yolks, and sugar. Cook (stirring constantly with a wooden spoon) until the curd is thickened and coats the back of the spoon (it should be about 170F), about 10 minutes. (Make sure not to let it boil.)
Strain curd through a fine mesh sieve to remove pulp, zest, and any pieces of egg that may have cooked. Whisk in the salt, then whisk in butter piece by piece until melted.
Cool to room temperature (curd should thicken). At this point, if the curd isn’t as thick as you’d like, you can microwave it in 20 second intervals on high (stirring in between), until it reaches your desired thickness.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 1 week.
Dianna says
I've made this recipe a couple of times now, and my family loves it - especially my husband! :)
Susan says
I love lemon curd and I know I would love orange curd! I looks delicious and I can imagine how refreshing it tastes.
Priscilla - She's Cookin' says
I've never made a fruit curd either! So funny that the microwave saved the day - er, curd :)Lovely photos, Faith - the dainty light blue of the tea set complements the orange curd beautifully.
Barbara Bakes says
Love the color. It sounds fantastic.
Anna Johnston says
Mmmm, I do like a nice citrus curd :) and this one fits the bill nicely, must whip one up soon - thanks for the reminder lovely :)
grace says
i've been slathering lemon curd on just about everything these days, yet orange curd sounds so much more appealing. i'm picturing a dreamsicle-type of creation involving curd and cream. hmm.
suparna says
hi faith,
The orange curd looks divine! getting oranges year round is great :P
emiglia says
I usually like fruit curds from more sour fruit, but yours doesn't have all that much sugar in it, so I bet it was divine! I'm putting it away for when blood oranges are back in season... I bet it would be beautiful with that deep red!
Stevie says
Take a bath in orange curd? What an idea! I've only ever considered bathing in olive oil before and then only while in Spain. However, the advice appears sound.
This is very creative Faith. Did you preserve some in jars for later? Or perhaps to send as tiny surprises to some of your many admirers?
Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather says
Faith your orange curd looks great! I had no clue how to make it at home, now I wanna give it a try!
nancy at good food matters says
Lemon curd has been part of my repertoire--but never orange curd. And why not? This looks terrific, wonderful color, smooth texture. And good for you, uncovering the microwave way to save the curd!
Delishhh says
I have never made curd - do not ask why - but i always have oranges and lemons going bad. Now i know what to do with them. Awesome!
Raina says
This looks wonderful! I love fruit curd and orange sounds great. Great tip about microwaving. Funny about your hubby. At least he is eating healthy things. My hubby eats a lot of junk food and went on an ice cream binge back a while ago until I had to intervene..lol
Blond Duck says
Happy Thursday!
Simply Life says
oh what a perfect looking breakfast!
Ambreen says
This looks divine! Looks fabulous & so easy to make too! Lovely post, Faith!
Julie M. says
Yum Faith! You officially have me wishing it was January again so I could go and pick oranges off my grandmother's tree; this looks perfectly put together.
marla {family fresh cooking} says
Faith, it is so refreshing to see a new kind of citrus curd. I have only ever tried lemon. Love the simplicity & originality of this recipe :)
Reeni says
I wonder where orange curd has been all my life!? So luscious - I want to smear it on everything! This is inspired Faith!
jay says
sounds divine..:P
Tasty Appetite
Event: Letz Relishh Ice Creams
kim says
Yours beats out all the store bought jam and curd. :)
Swathi says
orange curd looks fabulous, easy recipe of making them microwave. I will try them.
LeQuan says
Your husband and my husband would probably fight over oranges. Mine eats about 3 a day and sometimes 5 as well. Your orange curd turned out beautifully. I'm glad you were able to save it. I've only ever tried home made orange curd once and thought it was lovely. Yours looks just perfect.
Ameena says
I LOVE curd of any kind. I actually had an orange curd this weekend at a baby shower and it was delicious!
5 oranges in a day? Mike is my hero.
coco says
I love oranges too but I don't think I can eat 5 oranges a day! :)
the custard looks divine!
Mary says
In all the years I've been cooking I've never made an orange curd. Your recipe and success with it have convinced me it is time to give it a try. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary.
Joyti says
You know, I've been wondering why people always make lemon and not orange curd. Yours sounds and looks delicious!
My parents ate several oranges a day. They think its healthy I think. Me, I eat strawberries...I buy several basket-fulls a week.
Louanne says
Oh wow, my first thought was using orange curd as a filling between two dark chocolate cake layers. My second thought was spreading a big spoonful onto a toasty English muffin. Delicious!
Erica says
I have a similar obsession, but mine is with apples and not oranges! The curd looks amazing! mmm I can just imagine how good that is on a nice thick piece of toast!
Tanvi@SinfullySpicy says
This curd looks yum!I prefer orange cured over lemon anytime.Your pictures look great..Love the picture of curd slathered over bread slice!
Jessica says
Your orange curd looks absolutely delicious! I probably will go through an orange phase after trying that one out.
Megan'sCookin' says
I like the inspired by... and saved by...
That's funny! :) I love the orange curd. I have been wanting to make some lime but you know how that goes. So many recipes to try.
But with this beautiful orange curd, curd is back on the radar. Darn you! ;)
Magic of Spice says
Nice that you can still get some oranges this late...I have seen them around but usually end up disappointed (I'm such a chicken) :)
I adore curds and orange is a refreshing flavor. I wonder why id did not thicken, but great save with the microwave tips :)
Nourhan @ Miss Anthropist's Kitchen says
Yum! I've never tried making curd before, but it sounds so delicious, and yours looks perfect :) Funny because my brother and I decided to research if Vitamin C could be dangerous in high doses (because I tend to drink a lot of Vitamin Water, which is like 250% of your daily recommended Vitamin C), but it's not, so don't worry :p
Nina says
Faith, your orange curd looks wonderful! Have not made it - only lemon- think you might start a new trend with this post!
Steve @ HPD says
"Curd" needs a new name. Fruit paté, maybe? Although just as many people will turn the other way at that one, I suppose. Cheers!
Sutapa says
Faith I never had orange curd but your looks awesome! So orangy it will pep up any tea party!
Barbara says
I adore fruit curds! Made a rhubarb curd just last week. I've been debating a grapefruit curd too, but I'm worried it might be too bitter. Orange curd sounds like a great idea to satisfy your orange-obsessed hubby.
We all get obsessed about different meals....
Blond Duck says
I get fixed on foods too...right now it's bbqed chicken.
Evelyne@CheapEthnicEatz says
I still have yet to make curd and this orange one is inspiring....on the to do list. And no vit C does not accumulate in the body ;-)
Maria @ Scandifoodie says
Well this is pretty perfect as we are having the best Australian orange season right now!
Priya says
Orange curd looks fabulous.
Diane says
I well definitely try this it looks delicious. Diane
Veronica says
P.S. Mike cracks me up with his breakfast phases! The only other person I've known who has food phases like this is my mother, who would fix the same exact thing for dinner every night for like three months before we pitted a revolt against her and forced her to make something else. lol!
Veronica says
Lovely, my dear! I will be trying this next time egg yolks runneth over in my refrigerator.
Rosa says
I love lemon curd, but never made orange curd. Surely very luscious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook says
Great save, it looks delicious. I make microwave lemon curd all the time because I never got it completely right on the stove. Will have to try it with orange, excellent idea!
Angie's Recipes says
It looks so good! Gotta give it a try.
aipi says
Oh my ~ this recipe of orange curd is so bookmarked! Thanks for sharing Faith.
US Masala
Carolyn Jung says
Oooh, a great tip about using the microwave to get curd thicker. I'll have to remember that. I love your twist on the usual lemon curd. Oooh, I wonder if you could make an orange curd tart using this now. Yum!
pachecopatty says
Hi Faith, wow, your orange curd looks good. I've made lemon curd a few times but never the orange, I think I would like to try it.
What a lovely spread on your morning toast;-)
Lisa says
Looks amazing! Oranges really can be amazing on their own, but I can almost taste this!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
That looks gorgeous! I love the color :) I bet it tastes amazing!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
This is delicious! I've made curd in the microwave and it's quite easy. I think I made a mandarin curd from memory! So many curds, so little memory :P
Averie (LoveVeggiesandYoga) says
Faith your orange curd looks divine!
I would like to drink it. Not spread it on something. Take a bath in it is more like it :)