What Do You Think About Peach Curd?
Decorating By i_heart_pastry Updated 5 Jul 2007 , 7:54pm by randipanda
Any reason why it couldn't be done? Do you think it would taste good? I'm doing a cake for a "mom's night out" with a bunch of my friends (i.e. guinea pigs) on Thursday, and I thought that peach curd might be interesting. Before I attempt to make it, I thought I'd throw the idea out there and see if anyone else has tried it. Can you think of any reservations or suggestions that might make it work better? I did find one recipe on the web, but it calls for rosewater & I'm not sure I'll be able to find it at our local grocer. Thanks!
Bec
Rosewater is a pretty strong flavor, and a little esoteric for most American palates.
Peaches are hard to puree to a smooth consistency, which is what you need to make curd ( don't forget a large dose of either lemon juice or citric acid so it doesn't get really brown and yucky)
Why not try Mango ? It is a similar flavor without peaches tendency to brown when cooked.
I was thinking I'd need to add some citric acid. My understanding of curds is that the acid from the fruit is what causes the heated egg yolk / sugar mixture to thicken. I actually have some mango puree on hand - maybe a half & half mixture would be good. Hmmm...
Bec
I love curds as a filling, since they have such bright, intense flavor. I make them all the time out of almost every fruit. And yes, the less acidic the fruit, the more cornstarch you need, which menas you need to cook it longer to get the starchy taste out, which means you get a less bright fruity flavor....so the recipe will change a lot fruit by fruit.
Have you ever tried Rose Levy Beranbaum's curd recipes (as written in The Cake Bible)? She doesn't use any cornstarch, just egg yolk, sugar, butter, salt, lemon juice, & lemon zest (or other fruit). I was thinking of using her recipe as a starting point. I may wait for another time, though - I came up with a different idea that I think I may like better for tomorrow's cake! I'll let you know my results once I do give it a go!
Bec
I have used non-thickened recipes, but they only work with tart citrus and they are less stable if the cake is going to sit out for any length of time. I use this recipe as a base:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/232181
By varying the amount of starch ( or if you have a lot of time for it to cool, gelatin) I've made all sorts of fruits work with this recipe.
As far as getting it to a smooth consistany- if that is a problem the sell pureed peaches as baby food. 100% peaches, no preservatives or additives! And probably cheaper than fresh peaches in the off season.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%