The lemons in my fruit bowl were beckoning me.
Meanwhile, blueberries in my fridge were begging me. So as I woke up on July 4th, I had no option but to finally give in. And give in to making this lemon curd that had been floating in the air. But it would have to be with a twist so as not to disappoint the blueberries. And it would have to be on the light(er) side, because ... it is summer!
Kudzu root powder, which I have been experimenting with in recent times, immediately came to mind to bring lightness. While Kudzu is known for many interesting uses and properties ( see what Wikipedia has to say on this ), it is is a great thickener for sweet and savory recipes. And a great replacement to the (decent amount of) butter and eggs traditionally used for lemon curd.
I used enough lemons to obtain 1/2 cup of juice, which I heated with 1 cup of (filtered) water. I added 1/3 cup brown rice syrup, for its mellow sweetness.
Meanwhile, I dissolved 2 (decent) tbsp of Kudzu powder in about 4 good tbsp of water (enough to completely dissolve the powder and obtain a thick-ish but homogeneous paste). Two (market fresh and organic) egg yolks were added (this lemon curd is ligth-*er*) and whisked.
Once the sweetened lemon juice was brought to a simmer, I poured it little by little over and thoroughly whisked it into the yolky kudzu base (going too fast would risk to immediately cook and curd the yolks). I returned the mixture to the stove for thickening on low heat.
Once the mixture had thickened well, I took it off the heat for straining.
I needed two more steps to finish this curd: to accentuate the lemon flavor, I added about 1 tbsp of lemon zest (using a zester, not a grater); and to increase its smoothness, I finished it with a tsp of vegetable oil (mixed thoroughly).
At that point, I shifted my focus to the blueberries. I had in mind to make a simple blueberry puree that would peacefully coexist with the lemon curd, and complement its acidulated flavor. And no need for sugar here: blueberries are naturally nicely sweet. So very simply, I simmered the blueberries over low heat, until they burst and released their natural juices. I let the (soon-to-be) puree reduce and, when thick enough, strained it for smoothness.
I placed the lemon curd in a jar with its blueberry companion, and kept it refrigerated. I could then attend to the other produce that were now starting to draw my attention in the kitchen...
By the way:
- Kudzu powder can be found online if not available at a store near you.
- I used canola oil, but feel free to use any other type of oil with a different flavor or health properties.
- This treat should be eaten within a week (I don't anticipate that should be a problem :-)).
- Gluten- and dairy-free, this recipe is also low in FODMAP.