Tangy apricot meringue

Apricot curd is a delightfully different take on traditional lemon curd and it is just as tasty and even more flexible because you can use it in a zillion different ways in cakes and desserts.

Apricot season is in full swing in Africa at the moment and the fruit is plentiful, inexpensive and really great tasting so do use them for jams, preserves, breakfasts and desserts.

Today’s recipe is straight forward and doesn’t require special effort or fancy ingredients and it can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for days.

With today’s apricot curd dessert I am going to be serving it with meringues, done the easy, effortless way which translated means bought at the local bakery or supermarket. A good blob of ice cream, yoghurt or thick cream and perhaps a little sprinkling of grated chocolate is all you need to make a really tasty dessert.

To make enough for four servings you need:

Ingredients

25ml lemon or lime juice

6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed

200g of caster sugar

100g of butter

4 organic eggs

750g ripe but firm apricots, well rinsed, halved and stones removed

Method

Clean a dish with a tight fitting lid very well, dry and place in refrigerator to cool.

Place the cardamom at the bottom of a saucepan and place the apricot halved on top of them.

Add water enough to just cover the fruit.

Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until just soft.

Pour out some water, keeping about half.

Let the fruit cool slightly and remove the cardamom pods.

Spoon the apricots with the cooking juice into a food processor and add the caster sugar.

Whizz until smooth, set aside to cool and then place in the refrigerator until cold.

Break the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth then mix in the chilled smooth fruit.

Place the mixture in a pan and over medium heat.

While stirring the sugar and fruit mix add little blobs of butter until the butter has been absorbed and the curd has thickened.

Add the lemon juice, stir through lightly and let it cool before placing it in the cleaned, chilled dish.

Cover and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serve with meringues and thick cream.

Footnote: For the little ones serve the curd with ice cream and finger biscuits. If you are making the curd only for children use a little more caster sugar and only a teaspoon or so of lemon juice.