Rhubarb and vanilla curd

We grow several varieties of rhubarb in the garden and this year is obviously a good year for this plant as they are rapidly out growing their allocated space. In search of recipes which use this bounty (otherwise known as a glut) I came across several recipes for fruit curds, I love lemon curd particularly in victoria sponge cakes so I thought I would have a go with a rhubarb curd, the addition of vanilla due to wanting to the rhubarby tang with a mellow spice, vanilla has a natural affinity to rhubarb.

The curd colour is variable as it depends on the starting colour of your rhubarb, early forced rhubarb will give a delicate pink curd, but if you are using later season it will come out a greeny orangey red, feel free to change the colour with grenadine or food colour  if you want a more red / pinky curd.

Its also a great way to use up any excess of homelaid eggs which from time to time (particularly if I have forgotten to take eggs into work).

Ingredients

• 600g rhubarb , washed and chopped up into chunks
• 4 eggs - free range
• 200g butter
• 4 tsp cornflour
• 175g caster sugar
• 2 vanilla pods, cut and stripped of seeds ( you could use paste)

Method

• First you need to juice the rhubarb, I did this by using my food processor to chop very finely and then strained the resultant mush through a sieve and collected the juice in a bowl.
• Now put the eggs, butter, cornflour and sugar, vanilla seeds in a large pan and the rhubarb juice over a very low heat whilst whisking until the butter has melted and all the other ingredients have been well incorporated.
• Continue to stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens and begins to coat the back of your spoon like thick custard, this could take 15 - 20 minutes
• Remove from heat and sieve to remove any eggy lumps and bits of rhubarb so you have a smooth curd
• Cool in the fridge and then pot into sterilised jars , this recipe makes about 2 normal sized jars. Store in the fridge but use within a week or so.
• Delicious spread on scones, toast,crumpets or in cakes.

I am also linking this up as part of Calendar cakes over at Dollybakes and Laura Loves Cakes 

                                                                     

Apple Butter - windfalls for the store cupboard

In the garden the apple season is in full swing, our trees are old and knarled and are the remnants of a much larger orchard for a nearby ancient farmhouse. All the gardens in the local areas have fruit trees, mainly apple or perry pear, but the fields just down the lane also have crab apples and damsons as well.

Given that this year has been the wettest on record (interesting term that as records have only been kept for a few hundred years, I digress) the fruit harvest is very variable and many trees haven't fruited well , that combined with the trees being old, codling moth and fungal diseases means that the fruit is mostly ignored locally.

I like to embrace this harvest and every year when we have fruit in the garden, we make cider (variable quality), chutney, sauce, apple butter and freeze large quantities for pies and crumbles in the winter. We are also lucky that the fallen fruit particularly in cold winters attracts flocks of redwings and fieldfares into the garden to feast on the slowly rotting piles of apples and pears.

This apple butter recipe is based on a Women's Institute recipe and one from River Cottage preserves, its a easy preserve to make and is delicious on toasted crumpets or as a filling for cakes. The proportion of sugar is lower than a jam so its keeping qualities aren't quite as good as jam and it must be stored in a cool place and eaten promptly once opened. Its smells heavenly when cooking as the spices give it a deliciously aromatic scent, which when combined the cider notes is wonderful.

Ingredients

• About 1.5kg apples, cut up into chunks , only discard really manky bits !
• Sugar - Granulated about 800g
• 600ml Cider ( local if you can get it )
• 600ml Water
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves ( you can use other spices it up to you)
• Lots of recycled jars - sterilised (small one's are better so you can eat it all quickly once open)

Method

• Place your cut up apples, cider and water in a very large pan
• Bring to boil and simmer until all the fruit is soft and pulpy
• Pass through a mouli or rub through a sieve to remove the cores, pips and skins
• Add the strained pulp back to your cleaned pan, adding approx 350g sugar for each 600ml of pulp
• Add the spices (whichever you are using)
• Stir and heat slowly to dissolve the sugar
• Once the sugar has dissolved bring to a good rolling boil until the mixture is reduced and spluttering and creamy in texture
• Pot immediately into your warmed sterilised jars
• Cool and then store in cool location until use

National Apple Day was started by Common Ground

 This is also an entry for A little bit of Heaven on a plates Homemade and Well Preserved challenge 

STOP PRESS - I won best in show, amazed and such a lovely lovely prize a signed preserves book from Vivien Lloyd expert chutney and preserves maker and also a WI Judge