Saturday, 11 April 2015

last night

We sat staring out to sea, our toes buried in the sand, talking about the things we know now that we didn't know then. We passed a bottle of rosé between us as the sun sank down behind the mountains and agreed that never before had there been an April quite so filled with magic.


Blood-Orange Curd Sundaes with Olive Oil and Sea Salt 
Adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2015

It's early for a freckled face and exposed limbs, but stranger things have happened. I'm taking this weather as a sign that sundae season has officially arrived.

3 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon finely grated blood orange zest
½ cup fresh blood orange juice
½ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Vanilla ice cream, softly whipped cream, olive oil, and flaky sea salt (for serving)

Whisk eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl until pale and thick, about 4 minutes. Bring blood orange zest and juice, lemon juice, and salt to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisking constantly, gradually add half of juice mixture to egg mixture, then whisk egg mixture into remaining juice mixture in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until bubbles subside and mixture is thick enough to coat spoon, about 3 minutes.
Off heat, whisk in butter a few pieces at a time, incorporating completely before adding more. Transfer curd to a medium bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto surface. Chill until cold, at least 3 hours.
To serve, spoon ice cream into bowls and top with curd and whipped cream. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt.