I started thinking about this grapefruit curd while traveling in Marrakech, Morocco. I was admiring the diverse plants outside Peacock Pavilions when Maryam kindly brought us tea and a platter of incredible lemon bars. The lemon flavor of the curd was intense and bright, made from citrus picked on the property. The shortbread foundation was extra thick and structured. Think deep-dish lemon bar perfection. And there I found myself, standing in the North African sun, thinking about all the citrus that would waiting for me when I got home to California, and all the different curds I would make.
All The Different Citrus Curds!
And I did. I got right to it. I made minneola curd, blood orange curd, lemon curd with a kiss of clove, and this one, grapefruit curd with ginger. It’s my favorite. You get an intense, assertive hit of grapefruit with enough ginger to notice. It begs to be slathered on everything.
What Pairs Well with Grapefruit Curd?
Grapefruit curd is wonderful on a long list of things. Scones, biscuits, toast, and English muffins to start with. Wayne puts it on pizzelles. I swirl it into Greek yogurt. And I like to make some before family comes to brunch because it is perfect with all of the following.
A Couple Details
You can sweeten this curd with granulated sugar or honey, and I include instructions for both down below. In general, I use a one-pan method to make curd, which (I hope) makes things easy for you – not fussy or technical.
Beyond Curd Inspiration
While I was in Morocco I shot with my Polaroid Land camera quite a lot. It takes pack film which is still readily available. Each shot develops over the course of a few minutes, and you peel it away from its backing. You can see my shots spread out on the table up above (land cam shots on the right). I love this camera, but in all honesty, it is not a system for the faint of heart. I carry an external light meter/timer, sizable packs of film, lens adapters/rangefinders, bags for the trash the film produces, and a small box to protect the damp prints from scratches and dirt. The film is also temperature sensitive. Beyond that, the list of issues goes on – but I love the little prints it makes, and the feel they have. Hopefully some of that magic is retained in a few of these scans – a handful of my favorites from this trip.
I look forward to returning someday – I’d also love to visit Fez, a city that has been on my travel wishlist for a long time. In the meantime, I’ll keep cooking from my stack of Moroccan cookbooks so I have a deeper understanding when I do return – a shortlist of a few of my favorites for those of you who are interested (The Food of Morocco, Mourad: New Moroccan, Arabesque, and A Month in Marrakesh). Also! Paula Wolfert maintains a fantastic Facebook group focused on Moroccan cooking, it’s an incredible resource that you might want to check out if you’re interested in diving deeper.
Exploring the Medina in Marrakech.
More Citrus Recipes
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