I've never actually made curd before, because you can just buy jars of it at the store! But really, it wasn't too hard. The final result took about an hour. The only thing I'm sad about is that the lime juice overpowered the mango flavor by miles and it ended up tasting like a lime or lemon curd. I think most people thought that's what it was, which is fine because I thought it tasted like lime curd myself. It was still tasty!I suspect if you want a more Mango flavor you could cut down the lime juice to 1 or 1 and 1/2 tablespoons instead of the full three. Or try using extra ripe mangoes. They are a wee bit of a hard find in Salt Lake city in the dead of winter. :)
Mango Curd
(adapted from Bon Appetit, June 1998)
1 15 ounce ripe mango, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I used two medium sized mangoes...the produce man said ripe ones are like avacados: brightly colored, with a little give when squeezed)
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces
-Puree the first 4 ingredients in a food processor or blender, scrape down the sides occasionally to make sure everything is well blended.
-Add egg yolks and puree 15 seconds more.
-Strain the mixture through a sieve that has been set over a metal bowl, pressing the mixture through to release as much of the puree as possible. Discard solids that are left in the sieve.
-Set the metal bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water); whisk the puree until thickened and a thermometer registers 170 degrees. This should take about 10 minutes.
-Remove bowl from over water. Whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time until it is all incorporated. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Makes 1 to 1 1/2 cups.
