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Thursday 13 September 2012

lime curd, filo pastry, vanilla salt...
(or how a tiny portion of lime curd found meaning in its brief, glorious existence)

I whipped up this dessert a few months ago on the fly, one late weekend afternoon, and since then I had been sitting on this post in draft for ages. The combination of lime curd, filo pastry and vanilla salt was absolutely divine, but I put everything together quite carelessly - the presentation was shoddy and I only took a couple of photographs, both of which could've been better. I'm now moving past those quibbles. It tasted fabulous, after all.

This recipe came about as I had one lonely egg yolk in the fridge. I was at the beginning of a curd-crazy phase so it was a no-brainer. That egg yolk was to find a new home in a tangy lime curd. And then, and then - the lime curd found a lovely new home on a bed of filo pastry, and found itself bejewelled with little gems of vanilla salt... and found meaning in its brief, glorious existence.

lime curd spread on toasted olive oil filo pastry, sprinkled with tahitian vanilla salt.

a tiny, tiny serving of lime curd

1 egg yolk
1.5 - 2 tablespoons sugar, depending on how sweet you like it
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon lime zest (optional)
1/2 tablespoon butter

Prepare a saucepan with about 3 - 4 centimetres (1.5 inches) water. Bring it to boil, then lower the heat to a gentler boil.
Whisk egg yolks, sugar, lime juice and zest (if using) together in a bowl until well combined. This bowl should be of a good size for fitting on top the saucepan so that it just hovers above the water.
Place the bowl on top of the simmering water. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens. Add butter and continue stirring and cooking until the butter is completely melted and becomes one with the mixture.
You'll know the curd is ready when it is thick enough to coat a spoon dipped into the mixture. Also remember that the curd will continue to thicken as it cools down.

After making the curd, I riffled through the freezer and found some frozen filo pastry (aka phyllo pastry). I broke off a few rectangular sections, brushed them lightly on both sides with olive oil, stacked them on top of each other and baked them in a moderately hot oven for several minutes till crisp and golden. The lime curd went on top of that. I then scoured the pantry and found some Tahitian vanilla salt that was just begging to be used, so those beguiling little crystals were scattered over. The vanilla salt was an impulse purchase at a shop, but you can easily make your own by mixing half a cup of salt with the seeds from a vanilla bean and storing it in a jar. Otherwise, some good quality salt will be nearly as good. Enjoy!

52 comments:

  1. I love a handy draft post and I love lime curd. win~

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  2. Ooh, vanilla salt, I've never had such a thing. I bet this was incredibly yummy, given that lime curd is fantastic on its own. This reminds me, though, that the last time I looked for filo dough at my grocery store, they only had it available in little cup-form. Wouldn't be such a bad way to serve this, I suppose!

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    1. This was very addictive. It wasn't nearly enough, considering I wasn't alone when I made it... sigh. And filo cups should be awesome for this!

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  3. I never knew there was such a thing as vanilla salt!?! I can just imagine it with the lime curd, yum! Always love a good impulse dessert :)

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    1. Vanilla salt is like vanilla sugar, but obviously with a base of salt instead of sugar. It really adds something special when sprinkled on top of desserts!

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  4. Mm yum what a yummy and unique looking dessert :)

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  5. Ohhh yummmm :) and I love how it only uses one egg yolk because I always have 1 or 2 egg yolks lying around yay i can use it now :) And Vanilla salt never heard or tried it ~ Thanks for introducing it!

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    1. Yes, always nice to have a simple recipe to use up random egg yolks (or whites)! :D

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  6. That's a pretty clever little dessert! I shall save it for days when I need just a little bit of citrus kick!

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    1. This will definitely fit the bill for when you need a little hit of citrus goodness!

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  7. Amber and I were just swoon-talking about lemon curd yesterday. Oh how I love the tanginess, and you've just bumped this up to another level!

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    1. Curd is the word! ;) It truly tasted divine with the filo pastry.

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  8. Why hello there delicious curd. Tyler has told me about something similar to this, that he used to make all of the time. Maybe I'll have to make this and suprise him :) I have the vanilla salt and have been dying to use it!

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    1. Oh I'd be keen to check out Tyler's recipe! Yep, vanilla salt was excellent on this and I'm looking forward to trying it out more often. :D

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  9. Love lemon/lime curd but never made it before - you make it sound so easy! We have a bowlful of lemons and eggs and sugar so I might actually give this a try this weekend! :)

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    1. Yes it's pretty easy, it's just the stirring and waiting till it thickens that can be a bit time-consuming!

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  10. I love these happy little accidents! Great use of leftovers

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  11. This is just so cute, economical, and spontaneous of you - using what you have in your fridge. :) Wish I could be as breezy with my sweet desserts. I normally look at ingredients and go "???". :p

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    1. Ahh thanks! Sometimes you get an idea that increases momentum as you go along, I was having a good cooking day that time for sure! :)

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  12. I am very pleased that you pulled this post out of draft, it looks delicious and very simple... I always seem to have curd in the fridge so I will be trying this recipe out :)

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    1. Yes! If you already have curd in the fridge, that makes this even quicker and easier! :D

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  13. Haha I never know what to do with arbitrary days-old egg yolks in my fridge. This looks amazing though, so I'll keep this in mind for next time :)

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    1. I'd do it again if I have spare egg yolks. Curd is so delicious. :D

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  14. It's such a dilemma for me, those draft posts with the slightly less than what I'd like them to be photos. I've got too many of them! Too many just sitting there, waiting for their turn. I feel guilty about them often, when I side line them yet again for the sake of something prettier. I'm going to take a leaf from your book leaf!

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  15. Well, I for one am very happy that you took this post out of draft mode and set it to go! I adore citrus desserts and far from shoddy, I find this photograph rather artistic ;-). I must try this recipe - seems so simple and delightful.

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    1. It certainly was very, very delightful. I've tried this combo with other curds since, but my favourite is still the one with lime curd.

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  16. As you know from reading my last post I have some lemon curd in my fridge that needs using up. I think I might just have to use it for this!

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  17. Each new fruit curd I make, I think is my favourite, but I do keep harping back to the lime curd I made last year - it was delicious. So, I think I'd have been very happy to have shared this dessert with you, especially if it meant getting to try something as exotic as vanilla salt.

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    1. I agree, there's just something about the delicious tanginess of lime that works so well in curd. And the vanilla salt was definitely a nice touch!

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  18. I'm such a huge fan of lime curd... the perfect mix of sweet and sour. And I love the idea of vanilla salt with the curd. I'll be stockpiling my egg yolks now!

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    1. Lime curd is just so awesome. I agree. And yes! Vanilla salt if you have it. :D

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  19. OMG, and here I am trying to slim down.... you temptress!

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  20. Lime curd! Love it, must give it a go, something different to the traditional lemon. Vanilla salt sounds great too!

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  21. I LOVE THIS!! Lime curd's just got so much flavour and character compared to the usual lemon curd. And how awesome it is that you thought of this dessert on the spot. Good thinking, you! Love this. I never have enough ways to use up my Filo pastry. Will need to grab another pack soon. DELISH, Leaf. YUM

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    1. This is definitely a fabulous way to use up filo pastry! And lime curd, for that matter. ;)

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  22. This does, indeed, sound like a glorious treat, no matter how briefly lived. There's nothing quite so bright as citrus curd, and I absolutely love that you sprinkled it with salt - sounds heavenly!

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    1. Thank you! It seems that most glorious treats are usually quite briefly lived... ;)

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  23. sorry i'm late to the party but i just have to say - you've reminded me how much i really need to make some lemon curd!! your lime version looks perfectly rich and decadent.

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    1. Thank you! Yeah, I'm really happy with it. I think using only the yolk makes it more luscious. :D

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  24. Sounds fantastic, I have an obsession at the moment with salted caramel but I think this vanilla salt with lemon curd is the summer thing for me. I might try whizzing up the beans after using the seeds in something else.

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    1. I'd eat it anytime, but it does have a summery feel, doesn't it? Let me know how you go! :)

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  25. I think this is delicious....
    Thank you for the idea...
    I like try New flavors.
    Bye from Italy

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  26. i just stumbled upon your blog and i love it! this recipe is glorious both in that it's making the back of my mouth water and it's perfect portion. love it!

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