rhubarb curd
On Father’s Day, I told Bill Beaucoup that I love him very much and that I’m glad he’s my dad. He responded with an eye roll and “whatever.” It was pretty touching. Despite his lack of sentimentality, I gave him a jar of rhubarb curd made with love. Hear that, Bill Beaucoup? YOU ATE LOVE.
Here’s the thing about rhubarb curd: when you read reviews of online recipes, some people comment that it isn’t overly tart. I’d like to tell you why I believe this is the case. When making curds, you often utilize juice drawn from fruit – most commonly, citrus. For example, to make a lemon curd, you juice lemons. For a lime curd, you juice limes. Have you ever tried to squeeze the juice out of a stalk of rhubarb? It’s tough milking. For this recipe, you cook the rhubarb in water, allowing it to steep, and that water then becomes the juice you utilize for the curd. Thus, you get a light, rhubarby flavour without tang or tartness. It is subtle, be warned. Some recipes puree rhubarb stalks and use the the pulp to create strong flavour, but I wanted a classic, silky-smooth curd with zero pulp, so I didn’t go that route.
Some reviewers also complain about the colour of rhubarb curd made with this method. They are disappointed when it isn’t brilliant pink, and looks almost identical to its lemon cousin. At baking school we talked a lot about the appearance of food – that we eat first with our eyes,* and will need to trick them on occasion. The colour of this curd will depend on your rhubarb, and will always lean toward yellow with the addition of eggs and butter. If you want a slightly pinker curd, add a speck of food colouring to the mix during cooking – I did. Bill Beaucoup’s curd looked like baby poop before I added some curd appeal. Just the teeny-tinest speck of colour will do wonders, so go easy on the stuff.
I added some lemon juice to this curd. Not much – just enough to brighten the flavour. The result is soft, sweet and a little buttery on the tongue. Close your eyes and you will taste the essence of rhubarb – just a whisper. More than that, you’ll find it is custardy and perfect served over strawberries. You could also use it in tarts or turnovers, slather it over scones or pancakes, or serve atop crusty meringues.
Alternatively, you could pack it into a jar and give it to someone who will run away when you try to give him a hug.
*Please do not put curd in your eyes.
. . .
Rhubarb Curd
recipe: from The Kitchn, with only tiny adjustments
Yields about 2 cups.
- juice from 1/2 lemon (about 1/8 cup), freshly squeezed (not bottled)
- 8 ounces chopped, fresh rhubarb (1 inch pieces)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 4 ounces butter, cut into small cubes
Mise en place – begin by getting organized. Read through the entire recipe before beginning. Measure out all of your ingredients. You will need a kitchen thermometer.
Place the lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Set aside.
Place rhubarb in a small saucepan with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes until the rhubarb is soft and breaks down – the juice will become pink. Pour the contents of the pot through a mesh strainer, collecting the rhubarb juice in a bowl/container. Add the strained rhubarb juice to the awaiting lemon juice, until the total liquid quantity is 2/3 cup. Allow the juice to cool.
Whisk together the sugar and eggs in a small saucepan. Slowly whisk in the 2/3 cup rhubarb-lemon juice – if your juice is still slightly warm, be sure to whisk constantly so the eggs don’t scramble. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the sides and bottom of the pot, until temperature reaches 170°F.
Remove from heat and stir in the butter a few cubes at a time, allowing each addition to fully incorporate before adding the next. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and let cool completely.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Oh that looks delicious! Just the idea of silky Rhubarb curd in a rolled up crepe or pancake sounds like a great dessert
It looks delicious! and I’m loving your photography
I adore curds of all kinds, but never would have thought to make a rhubarb curd — brilliant! I love that you thought to add a drop of food coloring, too. I made a blood orange curd a few weeks ago, and was so excited at how good it was in my head…. but then it turned out to be A. not as strongly flavored as I had hoped, and B., the exact color of human flesh. Like, I probably could’ve smeared it on in place of foundation and gotten away with it for a few minutes, before it started to drip off in globs down my chin. Yeah, not appetizing.
Ahem, that said, your curd looks GORGEOUS, and that light florally hint of rhubarb flavor sounds absolutely perfect. Yum!
Wow, that egg shell photo is exquisite!! They all are. And your family sounds like mine…we’d be rolling our eyes if anyone got too mushy! I’d be happy to gush, though, for some rhubarb curd!
What if, what if…you juiced the raw rhubarb? That would probably be more tart and citrus like, but still might not solve the baby poop issue. Will report if I can get motivated enough to run this experiment IRL.
I wondered that too!!! Please for you to do it for me and report back, yes? Yes.
I used to work in a restaurant where my chef tried juicing rhubarb once and it broke the fine mesh screen inside the juicer- ripped it right open. Not sure if it was a random fluke, but we thought it might have been too fibrous for the machine ( was an expensive juicer!)
Rhubarb is badass.
‘Nuff said.
You won my heart with the baby poop comparison. 🙂 I’m eager to give this a try. So what did Bill Beaucoup say after he tasted it?
Maureen, a man who runs from your hugs sure isn’t gunna call you to talk about curd. (I had a boatload of it though, and loved it.)
Nice! I need to try this! I love all things rhubarb flavored, even when that rhubarb flavor is only subtle (and when the rhubarb color needs to be helped along a bit).
I love that photo of the stacked eggshells, too!
How did you teach those egg shells to balance like that? Egg toe shoes? Such amazing photography. Seriously.
[…] This curd […]
I love curd! and I love rhubarb!! I must try this recipe, thanks for posting it. Do you think I could crush some redcurrants in it for colour? The garden is overflowing with redcurrants at the moment. And how long it would keep in the fridge (assuming it didn’t get eaten right away)?
Oh, I think the red currants would make it very pretty, my French mermaid! I’d keep it for 2-3 weeks in the fridge. The eggs are cooked, but like most things without preservatives, have a shelf life. xox
Your recipe sounds amazing! I used to cook the rhubarb in as little water as possible. If I could get away with 1/2 a cup or less I would.. I did a slow and gentle boil. I would then stain it through cheese cloth. It was a viscous syrupy result. With the remaining liquid, I made a syrup with honey or maple syrup, added it to a vodka martini and sat back and enjoyed! Rhubarb martins… There is nothing like that! I like the curd idea. I’m going to try it this weekend.
Oh, mb, you have done it again! Beautiful–and I think I like your idea of just a whisper of rhubarb. I’d rather have a silky smooth curd than a…hearty one. That would be weird. =)
Such gorgeous shots, girl! This curd looks absolutely delicious <3
Heheh, baby poop. Awesome. I’m glad that you gave your dad a jar of love for Father’s Day. And nothing sounds worse to me than thick, chunky curd so you were smart not to go the “pulverizing rhubarb” route. These photos are beautiful, especially the one with the stacked eggshells. Lovely!
Interesting idea not to use the pulp — when I’ve made fruit curds, I’ve always cooked or pureed the pulp and strained it. If I made rhubarb curd I would probably use a liberal hand with the red coloring to get a deep pink.
I did not know you could curd rhubarb. Now it’s on my list!
A couple years ago I posted a curd or custard recipe and someone was all “you added food coloring for color? how unhealthy and disgusting!” We live in a dangerous world, movita, things like food coloring are out to get us. Just thought you should know.
Curd me, baby!
I knew I liked you for a reason, Movita. Rhubarb curd is the shiz.
My trick is to use a little pure pomegranate or cranberry juice in lieu of the lemon in your version – it adds a little tartness, but more importantly, it turns the curd all pretty and pink like people think it should be.
I suppose beet juice would work too, but then your curd would taste of dirt instead of lovely rhubarb. And that would suck.
“You ate love” = best thing I’ve ever read! I’m rhubarb obsessed and this curd sounds fab!
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