Saturday, April 4, 2009

Tangy & Delicious Limequat Curd


Remember these little "mystery" fruit I posted recently? They are limequats, a cross between limes and kumquats, I found at the farmer's market. They originated in China and are now grown in several countries, including the US. (These were grown on the Big Island of Hawaii).


Limequats are small, about the size of a kumquat and have a thin, sweet tasting skin and a pulp that is very similar to limes, somewhat sour and bittersweet. They can be used like any citrus and have a good amount of Vitamin C. (They are shown below with a lime so you can see their size).


I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the dozen or so that I bought, but after some thought, decided to make Limequat Curd. I have made my own curd twice before; once using lilikoi or passion fruit (here) and then a lemon curd that I recently made in a cooking class on sauces. I ended up adapting the recipe from class as it requires less egg and sugar than the recipe I used for the lilikoi curd.

Limequat Curd (Or Any Citrus Curd)
Adapted from a recipe from Chef Laura Gershuni
(Makes approximately 2 cups)

3 large eggs
2/3 cup limequat juice (or other citrus juice)
2 Tbsp limequat zest (or other citrus zest)
1 cup sugar
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
pinch salt

In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar and juice until blended. Cook, stirring constantly to prevent curdling, until the mixture becomes thick, (about 10 minutes). 

Remove from heat. Whisk butter pieces into the mixture, one at a time until the butter has melted. Mix in zest and a pinch of salt. Cover immediately with plastic wrap to prevent a "skin" from forming and refrigerate. (The curd will continue to thicken as it cools). 


Notes/Results: Tangy and delicious, it tastes like a cross between lemon curd and lime curd. Thick, buttery and not exactly healthy, it makes a nice little occasional treat on a English muffin, a scone or a bread. I paired it with a delicious lightly lemony vegan tea bread that I will post on Monday, because it is good enough that it deserves it's own post. This is a keeper recipe that I plan to explore with other fruits.

16 comments:

  1. Looks delicious! I had never even heard of this fruit before your limequat post. So you can eat the skin and all?

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  2. First time reader and WOW...I'm already hooked with these mouthwatering recipes!!!!
    I'm a caterer and am always on the prowl for something new and exciting and this Linequat Curd looks to die for girl :)
    If you have a moment or two of your life that you'd care to waste, please vsit me at my blog and say hello.
    Take god care and........

    Steady On
    Reggie Girl

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  3. Oh my gosh...this looks amazing! I want to try it!

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  4. I have never heard of limequats before, but there is a grocery store about 30 min away from me that has a huge selection of produce. I'm going to see if I can find some!

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  5. We don't get limes easily here but I have the lemon curd on my list to do. This one must be amazing.

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  6. cool! I've been meaning to try kumquats for a while now! must get on that! It makes a nice colored curd as well!

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  7. How interesting - I have never heard of them. Lemon curd is also good piled onto meringues...

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  8. what a delicious way to use the limequats :)

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  9. I have never seen or heard of a limequat, nor have I ever even had a kumquat. I will definitely have to look for these!

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  10. I'll bet those would make a fabulous margarita! Call Natashya!

    Seriously, what a cool and unusual fruit!

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  11. So creative! This would be nice on cake or fruit. Mmmm.

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  12. I haven't heard of a limequat either but I have a cumquat tree and know just how good they are. I am totally fascinated by this fruit and would love to get my hands on some. I think your curd recipe looks absolutely gorgeous and I shall try it with my cumquats instead. Thanks.

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  13. Your limequat (which I'd never heard of until now) curd looks absolutely delicious! I always learn something new here and love your exotic fruit posts :)

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  14. I saw lime curd for sale at a gourmet grocer but passed because it was so expensive. Now I can make my own, haha! Thanks for sharing.

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  15. Been looking for something different to do with all the limequats on my tree, and this recipe is tasty!! Goes great on simple biscuits.

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