Pink grapefruit curd

Mornings can be bracing. Here’s a way to make them zesty with citrus and a little indulgent too.

Two things you need to know:

1. I love grapefruit (grapefruit spoons are pretty revolutionary).

2. I am not a morning person. It’s an incredibly productive part of my day because it needs to be, but it’s rarely welcome.

But add this grapefruit curd to some cake and strong coffee and you’ll get me excited to start off the day.

I first developed a taste for lemon and lime curd while I was living in London – it was just the perfect treat at teatime. As a result, one of the first things I posted on s&h back in the day was a super quick lemon curd recipe.

This recipe uses a double boiler but is not much more complicated than that. You can make it in the morning, let it cool, and enjoy it come goûter time.

Pink grapefruit curd

You’ll need:

• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed pink grapefruit juice
• 2 1/2 T butter, softened
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1gg yolk
• pinch of salt
• 1 t lemon juice

1. Bring the juice to a simmer on medium heat and let reduce by about half. Strain and let cool.

2. Cream the butter with the sugar in a stainless steel bowl – use the bowl of your stand mixer, for example – that will later become part of your double boiler. Add in the remaining ingredients, including the cooled juice, and whisk to combine.

3. Bring a pot of water, about 1/3 of the way full, come to a boil. Place the curd bowl on top of the pot and cook, stirring often, for about ten minutes until thickened. The curd will coat the bowl and the spoon or spatula that you’re using.

Take off of heat. As it cools, it will thicken and set some more.

Serve with cake, toast, yogurt… the options are endless!