Let it snow!

Merry belated Christmas everyone!

Before you comment on my previous promise of updating with holiday treats, let me tell you that my pre-festivity posting intentions were good. Sadly, a nasty cold has confined me to my couch for most of the last week, where I've been making friends with Kleenex and hot toddies. It's just as well really, considering this is what's happening outside.

 

Yes, that is snow piled on my garage roof. We've had quite the dump of the white stuff in the nation's capital over the past few days, so there has been lots of shovelling going on (though not by me, obviously, but by those who enjoy the pursuit, and by the service I employ).

 

All the more reason to tell you about something I did manage to make before I was struck down with the plague.

 

Clementine curd is a nice thing to have any time of the year, but especially so at Christmas, when the boxes are plentiful and if you're like me, you're looking for a way to use up the fruit before it goes bad.

So start by zesting six clementines and two lemons. Not that hard really.

Then juice away. Again, nothing too taxing so far.

Then all that juice is combined with the zest and some eggs and sugar in a pot over a low heat on the stove. As it warmed, in goes some butter to thicken it up. This step does take a while, but all that's required of you is to stand by the pot, stirring. It's fairly easy, compared some things, like working in a coal mine for instance.

At the end, all that hard work pays off in the form of some lovely citrusy curd that's perfect for spreading on toast, or scones, or anything else you might like. So go on, make yourself some while clementines are still around.

Clementine curd
From Jamie Magazine

Ingredients

• 6 clementines
• 2 lemons
• 350g caster sugar
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 100g unsalted butter, diced

Grate in the fruit zest and squeeze the juice into a saucepan with the sugar, eggs and yolks, and mix to combine. Add the butter and place over a very low heat. Cook, constantly stirring (you don’t want your eggs to scramble), until the curd is thick and coats the back of the spoon. Pour into sterilised jars, seal and refrigerate. Use within two weeks.

*I used only about 225 g of sugar and the result nicely tart curd. Recipe yielded three of the jars pictured above.