Inspired by the Lemon Curd recipe from Caroline and her great conversion table for eggs, I made this Spiced Plum Curd. It’s creamy with butter and eggs, lovely and fruity from the seasonal plums, with a gentle hit of cinnamon and star anise, reminding of German Plum Jam.
Why You Want To Make This
Using up Leftover Egg Yolks
I absolutely love the fact that you can use up all the egg yolks you might have left from meringue or other egg white recipes. Mine were from the Brown Sugar Pavlovas with Pistachio Protein Mousse and Strawberries that I made recently, and I had them frozen with a pinch of sugar, which keeps them in good shape for later use.
Lots of Uses
Curds are incredibly versatile. Caroline uses hers in Swiss rolls and Oat Bars. I’m using mine as a filling for Sourdough Apple Cider Donuts with Spiced Plum Curd that I will be posting soon. I wanted you to have this recipe first, so you can prepare it ahead of time and fill your donuts when done. Which is my preferred way of meal prep: Prepare the ingredients that keep well and have multiple uses, so you never have too much to do on one day.
You can of course also just use it as a spread for your morning toast or my Sourdough Pumpkin Soda Bread with Protein. Mix it into your morning yoghurt or muesli. Or just spoon it straight from the jar.
I’d love to hear what other applications you come up with!
Versatile Carrier for Fruit
Caroline made more versions of this with her Blueberry Orange Curd and Fig Anise Curd. I’ve made the classic Lemon curd before and loved it.
Since Plums are in season, I wanted to include them, to combine with other seasonal treats like Pumpkin and Apple, since they go so well together. So I decided to make Spiced Plum Curd.
Short Ingredient List
All you need to make Spiced Plum Curd is Butter, Eggs (or leftover yolks. See The conversion Table in Carolines Recipe for Lemon Curd for reference), sugar, Plums and optional spices.
I’m using Pumpkin Spice and an Anise Star here. You could use just cinnamon if you want or nothing, if you prefer the pure fruit flavour.
Easy to make with Stick Blender or regular Blender
I’m using a method with stick blender here, as it gives me the easiest way of creating an emulsion without the risk of splitting, considering the mix gets taken off the hob for it. So you don’t accidentally scramble your eggs while adding them.
The Process
If you were ever intimidated by making curd, due to the fear of scrambling your eggs, this recipe will save you.
Cooking the Plums
In a pot with 4 tbsp water, add your chopped plums, sugar, salt and spices to the pot. Leave the star anise whole, so you can fish it out before pureeing. Otherwise you’ll have a very overwhelming anise flavour. Boil your plums on medium heat for about 5-10 minutes until very soft. How long this takes depends on the ripeness of the plums.’
Blending
Fish out the anise star.
Pour the contents of your pot into a high jug if using a stick blender or into your blender.
If using a regular blender, put a kitchen towel over your lid, to save yourself from a mess and hot liquid, in case the lip pops off due to the heat. It doesn’t happen often, but better safe than sorry.
Blend the until totally smooth and the plums are pulverized.
Add your butter. Ideally it should be cold, so it can cool down the mix, to prevent the eggs from getting scrambled. Blend again until fully incorporated.
Add the eggs and blend the Spiced Plum Curd again until everything is incorporated, and you have a pale pink colour.
Strain through a sieve back into your pot. This removes any remaining plum peel pieces. See below how much you’d otherwise have in your finished curd.
Thickening the Mixture
Set your hob back to medium and stir continuously, making sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan, so nothing sticks. I like using a silicone spatula for this, as it is best able to get into every corner.
Your mixture should only be at a very lightly simmer since you don’t want to end up scrambling your eggs.
After a while (depending on how juicy your plums were to begin with) your mixture should start to thicken. Keep stirring until it coats the back of your spoon, and your finger (or a little spoon) leaves a visible trace on it when dragged across.
Fill the Spiced Plum Curd into clean jars, covering them with cling film, which you press down on the curd to avoid a skin from forming. This makes about 2-5 cups.
The mixture will continue to set as it cools.
Once it’s fully cooled, you can take off the clingfilm and close the jars. It will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Enjoy your Spiced Plum Curd on bread, in donuts or all kind of baked goods!
It would go really well with my Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes with Protein or the Waffle equivalent.
In the pictures you see it with the Sourdough Pumpkin Soda Bread with Protein, which was delicious!
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share. It helps me a lot.
Spiced Plum Curd
Equipment
- Blender or Stick Blender
Ingredients
- 400 g Plums destoned and roughly chopped. Makes about about 2 ¼ cups. For me this was 8 plums, but it depends on the size of yours. Weighing will be best here.
- ½ cup sugar
- 3.5 tbsp butter
- 3 eggs
- ¼ tsp kosher salt 1 pinch if using regular salt
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice or cinnamon
- 1 star anise
Instructions
Cooking the Plums:
- In a pot, combine the chopped plums and 4 tbsp of water. Add the sugar, salt, star anise and pumpkin spice (or cinnamon) to the pot. Keep the star anise whole; you'll remove it later to avoid an overwhelming anise flavour.
- Stir to incorporate the sugar and spices.
- Place the pot on medium heat and allow the plums to boil for about 5 minutes until they become very soft.
Blending:
- Remove the star anise from the mixture.
- Pour the contents of the pot into a high jug if using a stick blender or into your blender. If using a regular blender, place a kitchen towel over the lid to prevent splattering from hot liquid.
- Blend the mixture until it is completely smooth, and the plums are pulverized.
- Add the butter, and blend again. This cools the mixture enough to prevent the eggs from getting scrambled.
- Add the eggs and blend again until everything is fully incorporated, resulting in a pale pink colour.
Straining:
- Strain the blended mixture through a sieve back into your pot. This step helps remove any remaining pieces of plum peel.
Thickening the Mixture:
- Set your stove to medium heat and stir continuously, ensuring you scrape the bottom of the saucepan to prevent sticking. A silicone spatula works well for this.
- Maintain a very light simmer; avoid boiling to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
- Depending on the initial juiciness of your plums, the mixture will begin to thicken over time. Continue stirring until it coats the back of a spoon, and a visible trace remains when you drag your finger or a small spoon across it.
Jarring and Cooling:
- Fill clean jars with the Spiced Plum Curd and cover them with cling film. Press the cling film directly onto the curd to prevent a skin from forming.
- Allow the curd to cool; it will continue to set as it cools.
- Once fully cooled, remove the cling film and close the jars tightly. The Spiced Plum Curd can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Spread your delicious Spiced Plum Curd on bread, use it in donuts, or incorporate it into various baked goods for a lovely autumn treat!
Notes
Protein: About 0.4-0.5 grams
Fat: About 2-2.5 grams
Carbohydrates: About 6-7 grams
Fiber: About 0.3-0.4 grams
Sugars: About 5-6 grams
What a lovely curd. I’ve made lemon and passion fruit curd, and I wanted to experiment with a different fruit. This recipe turned out perfect. Thank you!
I have made lemon curd, but not plum curd. This is great with scones. Makes a wonderful food gift too.
I’ve never thought of making any curd besides lemon, but when I saw your recipe, I had to try it. It’s fantastic and I’ve been eating it on my morning toast. A+ recipe!
So unique and flavorful. Everyone our our church tea loved it
This had such an amazing color! And it tasted amazing, too. Will be making again soon with plums from our tree!