Primrose curd
Primrose Curd
This has fast become one of my favourite recipes; partly because I love working with flowers in my food, partly because it’s so quick and easy to make with ingredients you probably already have but mostly because it just makes me feel pretty darn posh every time I eat it.
I’ve used it with granola and yoghurt in breakfast bowls, on top of freshly baked sourdough bread and I’ve also used in it my spring nettle cake layered with pine needle frosting. You could eat it with crepes, over ice cream and I plan to make all sorts of indulgent goodies this summer with it. Once I run out, it’s not a problem as this recipe will work just as well with other edible flowers and I’m looking forward to trying it with rose petals and elderflowers.
Servings: 1 Jar
Cost: 30p
Equipment
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 25 approximately primrose flower heads the total number of flowers/ petals will change according to the species you're using. Make sure you have 100% identified it accurately and only take what you need if they are in abundance
- 300 grams caster sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 300 ml oat milk any non dairy milk will work, i just prefer the taste milder taste of oat milk and I 'think' it has less negative environmental consequences
Instructions
- Just so you know, I don’t have any kitchen scales yet so the majority of my recipes are made using ratios or cups (or jam jars) as a measurement. The American measurement system uses ‘cups’ but I honestly don’t know whether the trusty pink cup I use is the same volume as you’d find in an American ‘cup’, but really it doesn’t matter. If I say one cup of something and half a cup of something else, it’s easy to just relate that to whatever cups you have in your cupboard (or do a conversion using the American measurement to grams). Sounds confusing, I know, but trust me this recipe is soooo easy that you’ll be able to adapt it to whatever measurements you use. So, are you ready?
- I began by collecting approximately 20 primrose flowers (from a woodland location that I know has them in abundance. Like any wild foraged plant, please only take what you need and only if there is enough to have no obvious impact). These were placed in a jam jar and then I filled up the jar with caster sugar and left in a warm sunny spot for four days. 24 hours is probably enough but I’m super forgetful!
- Once you remember that jar of sugar and flowers that you left, empty the sugar into a small pan with or without the flowers (you can’t really see them in the curd so I leave them in). Add one and a half tablespoons of cornstarch and use the same jam jar to measure out the equivalent of non dairy milk (I used oat milk. I haven’t tried with other types, for e.g. soy which might have a stronger flavour so you might need to experiment). Heat gently over a medium heat until it starts to thicken, approximately five minutes. And that’s it! Simple.
- Remember, it will thicken even more as it cools so I’d err on the side of caution and not heat it for longer than five minutes. Once it’s cooled, if it’s not thick enough for you then you can always heat it again until you’ve reduced it to the thickness you want.
- At this point, taste it. If the taste is too mild for your liking then, it’s really easy to turn this into a lemon curd instead. Just add the grated zest of one lemon (it will make your curd go a pleasing yellow colour) and if it’s still not tasty enough for you, go ahead and add the juice too until you get the taste you’re looking for.
- Pour into a clean, sterilised* heat proof jar. Once cooled, place in the fridge and provided you don’t eat it before then, it’ll last for about a week. Let me know how you get on and I’d love to hear and see some of the creations you make with it. It would also make a lovely gift.
- * to sterilise jars, clean them thoroughly with hot soapy water, rinse and remove any rubber or plastic parts. Place upside down in an oven at 140C/275F/Gas mark 1 until hey are dry. Pour hot curd into the hot jars. Don't pour hot cold into cold jars as it may crack. Once cooled, the curd can be placed in the fridge.
Notes
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