Little Miss Muffet

I've always had a guilty crush on lemon curd. I'm talking spoon, jar, midnight snack addiction. Its sticky, gooey, smooth, sweet, tart creaminess- I just love it. So I decided to make a day of my condiment making session and had a crack at two types of curd; lemon and passion fruit. I discovered its very easy and less time consuming than a chutney so this makes a great, swift gift. To make lemon curd (a Delia recipe so you know you can trust it,) all you need is:

4 waxed lemons- zest and juice

200g golden (unrefined) caster sugar

100g unsalted butter- cut into cubes

4 eggs (3 egg whites and 4 yolks)

Create a bain marie (heatproof bowl over a fitting saucepan of boiling water,) and gently heat the lemon zest and juice, sugar and butter, stirring until the butter has melted. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and stir them into them into the lemon mixture. Whisk all the ingredients until well combined and leave to cook for 10-13 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture should become thick and creamy in front of your eyes. It's magical. Once the mixture is thick enough to cling to the back of a metal spoon, it's ready! Take off the heat and leave to cool, stirring occasionally. Once cooled, spoon into sterilised jam jars and seal. It'll keep in the fridge for about 3-4 weeks!

When I was at the market, it was about 4 o clock, so it was 'POUND FOR A POUND' time and it would have been rude not to buy a bowl of juicy , juicy passion fruit. To make the curd I used;
11 passionfruit
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
150 g caster sugar
100 g unsalted butter, cubed

Scoop out the passion fruits' seeds and flesh into a sieve. Use the back of a metal spoon to strain the juice though the sieve into a bowl. Keep the flesh and seeds for later. Beat the eggs and sugar together. Melt the butter in a bain marie. Once melted, stir in the egg mixture and passion fruit juice. Whisk all the ingredients until well combined. Keep cooking and stirring constantly until the curd has thickened. Once you have a curd-like texture, stir in the seeds and pulp. Let it cool slightly and spoon into sterilised jars. Seal and keep in the fridge.