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22.05.2019

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Gorgeous chocolate orange flavoured curd, made easily by cheating just a little. (Spoiler: so what it if curdles?) Use it on bread, biscuits (cookies), or cake. Or eat with a spoon.

Chocolate Orange Curd – The Easy Way www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: Some orange leaves on their stems, with some blossoms still attached, lying on a dark background. A pair of scissors half visible to the left of the image.

Chocolate and orange suit each other brilliantly. We know that already. So it makes perfect sense to make curd with these flavours.

Chocolate Orange Curd – The Easy Way www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: Top view of some ingredients spread out on a dark surface. Some pieces of orange in the top right corner, some pieces of chocolate and a knife on some grease-proof paper in the bottom right corner. At the bottom left are some cinnamon sticks , above those some eggs and a zested orange. In the top left corner a box grater and in the centre of the image is a small bowl with zest.

The funny thing about this curd though, is that I could not, for the life of me, get it to cook without curdling. (Isn’t it funny how we don’t want curd to curdle? Yeah, anyway, sorry) I have no such problems with lemon curd. It’s weird. So after several tries, I gave up. I decided it would be just fine to press my chocolate orange curd through a fine mesh sieve, or cheesecloth, or tulle. I would be doing this anyway to get rid of the orange zest. So two birds, one stone. Yes it’s a bit amateuristic, but hey, I’ve never claimed to be a pro cook! I’m a pro food blogger which means I can do whatever works and whatever I think will be best/easiest/more approachable for my readers. And this tiny bit of cheating doesn’t affect the flavour of the curd. Unless you have some kind of super-hero taste buds in your mouth that can detect such a thing. The only person I know with detection powers of this level is the Mister, and he had a taste and didn’t find it eggy at all. So I think we’re good.

Chocolate Orange Curd – The Easy Way www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: Top view of some ingredients on a dark surface. Some pieces of orange to the right, some pieces of chocolate on grease-proof paper in the centre, eggs to the left and some orange leaves with blossoms at the top of the image.

Ok so that’s about it regarding the chocolate orange curd. It’s delicious, I ate it all slathered on petit beurre style biscuits (similar to rich tea biscuits – that’s cookies for you guys in the US) even though the plan was to fill a cake with it. The cake didn’t happen in time. You can do with it what you feel like. Eating it with a spoon is also an option.

Chocolate Orange Curd – The Easy Way www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: An overhead view of a jar of chocolate orange curd without its lid. To the top of the jar are some orange leaves and blossoms, to the bottom some pieces of chocolate and some pieces of orange.

Now, moving on with a swift change of subject. I’ve been thinking about this side of the blog for a while (the English side that is). I realized I have no idea who you all are. Commenting on blog posts seems to be a thing of the past; don’t get me wrong, I get it, I too don’t have the time to stop and write even the shortest of notes to people. But here I am babbling away and at the same time I’m wondering who will read this. Will anyone even reach this far down the post? Do you want me to just shut up and get to the recipe? Do you enjoy the stuff I write about the recipes and ingredients I share? Do you find it boring but useful and thus put up with it? What would you like to hear (read) more of?

Chocolate Orange Curd – The Easy Way www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: A close view of the top part of a jar with chocolate orange curd, the lid covered with paper and tied with string.

I’ve asked questions like these in the past but haven’t got much of a response. If you have a moment it would be great if you introduced yourself, I’d love to hear from you!

Chocolate Orange Curd – The Easy Way www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: A close view of the top of a jar full of thick chocolate orange curd.

I also love seeing Instagram photos of the recipes you choose to make from The Foodie Corner! So please tag me (@thefoodiecorner and/or #thefoodiecorner) so I can find them and share on my stories!!

Chocolate Orange Curd – The Easy Way www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: An open jar of chocolate orange curd in the top left corner, next to some orange leaves. To the right are some pieces of chocolate and orange, lying on grease-proof paper. Among the pieces is a spoon full of curd.

Ingredients

4 eggs, organic or pasture raised if you can find them

120 gr sugar

120 ml (1/2 cup) orange juice, freshly squeezed

2 Tbs orange zest, from organic oranges

40 gr butter (from grass fed cows if you can find it)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

75 gr dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Step 1

In a 2.5 litre saucepan combine the eggs, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, butter, salt and cinnamon. Beat the mixture with a whisk until smooth as possible (it won’t be very smooth due to the butter – that’s fine).

Step 2

Warm the mixture over medium heat while stirring continuously. When it’s completely smooth replace the whisk with a wooden spoon.

Step 3

Continue to stir. When the mixture heats to just before boiling point (about 11-13 minutes in total later) it will start to thicken. You want it thick enough to thickly coat the back of the spoon. Test by dragging your finger through it, if it creates a clear line it’s done. It will thicken more as it cools. Most probably you will see tiny white bits in the mixture. That’s the curdled/scrambled egg. Don’t fret, you’ll get rid of it in a moment.

Step 4

As soon as you see the little white bits (or sooner if the above test works out ok), take the saucepan off the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until it melts.

Step 5

Line a sieve with cheesecloth or a piece of tulle (or use a very fine mesh sieve), pop it over a bowl or glass container and pour the hot curd into it. Push it through by pressing the mixture with the back of a spoon. Keep at it until you have only zest and tiny lumps in the sieve, and the smooth curd has fallen through into the container. Let it cool completely, cover and refrigerate.

Note:
If your curd doesn’t set (this also happened to me when I cooked it on too low a heat in an effort to avoid curdling) and you end up with a thick chocolate orange sauce, please please don’t throw it out. Use it as, er, a chocolate orange sauce. Pour it over stuff. Ice cream, pie, whatever you feel like. Or eat it with the biscuits I mentioned above, only this time just dip them in rather than slathering it on! I did have an idea to use it some sort of ice cream, but again, it didn’t happen in time. If you try something like that please let me know!

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So, what do you think? Leave me a comment!

6 Comments

  • Reply
    Erin
    22/05/2019

    Yes to all above mentioned! I’m so happy to have come across your blog and look forward to your posts not just for the recipes but for your gorgeous photography and bits and pieces from Greece!
    I had the opportunity to study abroad in Greece during college in 2000 and fell in love with the food. Your blog keeps it alive for me with a contempary twist and user-friendly instructions. Someday I will get back to Greece and hopefully get to embrace first hand the foodie revolution that was not so present when I was there. I live now in the Boston area where occasionally I get to partake in Greek food but it is often the stereotypical Americanized versions and not the fresh, traditional faire I had experienced back in the day. Please keep.up the writing and sharing – I don’t know how many English speaking followers you have but I’d like to think I’m not the only one enjoying a taste of Greece from afar!

    • Reply
      22/05/2019

      Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I know exactly what you mean about the foodie revolution, things are so different now! I really hope you get to visit again soon, I’m sure you’ll love it. Once again, thanks for taking the time to write such a wonderful message <3

  • Reply
    R
    22/05/2019

    I like your blog just the way it is, even though I haven’t had a chance to cook your recipes they always seem doable even for non-cooks!

    • Reply
      22/05/2019

      Oh thank you! This is so good to hear! I do try and make things feel accessible to everyone, sometimes I might even overdo it with the details, haha! Thanks again for taking the time!!

  • Reply
    JJ
    23/05/2019

    I find what you write to be fascinating, informative, and helpful – not boring at all! Thank you for taking the time to share all that you do. I have learned many useful tips and tricks. Please keep them coming! I always like to hear more about things involving salads, beans, ferments, slow cookers, no bake, etc. 🙂

    • Reply
      23/05/2019

      Hi JJ! That’s so good to know! Thank you so much for your kind words and for stopping to leave this note. It’s great to have an idea about what readers like to see 🙂 Have a lovely day!!