Bergamot Curd

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To put it simply, bergamot is like a *special orange*. It delivers notes of lemon, orange, and Meyer lemon all in one punch. Making citrus curd in the food processor allows you to use more of the peel and gives you the chance to infuse the essential oils of the citrus into the sugar, making for a more intensely flavored curd. 

Recipe

1-2 large bergamots, washed

3/4 cups sugar

115g unsalted butter, cut into pieces

100g egg yolks (from 5 large eggs)

Method

Peel the bergamot with a vegetable peeler. Place in a bowl with the sugar and toss to combine, let this sugar mixture sit for 5-10 minutes (this macerates the peel and releases the oils in the citrus).

Juice the bergamot to get 1/2 cup of juice (115g). 

Add the sugar mixture to a food processor and pulse until the peel is very finely chopped. Add the bergamot juice, butter, and egg yolks and pulse for about 45 seconds. (At this point, the mixture will look very curdled, but this is normal).

Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly to prevent the egg from cooking unevenly, for about 10-12 minutes or until very thick and opaque.

Strain the curd into a bowl with a fine mesh strainer to remove the bergamot peel and any coagulated egg to ensure your mixture is super smooth. 

Place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd and refrigerate until chilled. 

Serve the bergamot curd with a dollop of whipped cream, pile onto a crisp pavlova, or layer it into cakes.

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