can I use plum jam for fruit curd?

Hi, I have LOADS of home made plum jam, and need to make a pavlova for a birthday treat. My daughter asked for a fruit curd filling. Can I use plum (or other) jam for the fruit part of my curd if I send it through a food mill first?

sara diamond
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5 Comments

sara D.
sara D. September 22, 2014
OP here with an update - Using plum jam worked. I sent 1 cup of plum jam through a food mill, and had just under one cup of smoothed jam-fruit, heated over a double boiler, added on e and one-half stick butter till melted and incorporated, tempered and added five egg yolks, cooked gently, and sent though a sieve for an extra extra smooth texture. BOY OH BOY, what a cholesterol bomb! Too much butter and eggs.... oh well, still a nice tart flavor. It made just over two cups of curd. It was not a pretty color (brownish-purple), and very heavy after cooling, so I mixed one cup of the curd with one and a half cups of stabilized sweetened whipped cream, for use in a Pavlova. That lightened not only the texture, but helped the aesthetic problem of the brownish color (became a nice mauve) It was good. My heart is stopping as I type this, so goodbye forever.... ;-) I may loosen this up by remixing with more jam before I die. To serve it at my funeral with brioche toasts.
 
HalfPint
HalfPint September 22, 2014
I once made a raspberry lemon curd which turned a muted shade of mauve that while not ugly, just wasn't that vibrant red that is usually raspberry. Oh well, it taste good. Thanks for the update. Maybe you can pump up the color with some beet juice?
 
sara D.
sara D. September 18, 2014
OP here - my question is - can I use milled jam IN PLACE OF fresh fruit puree as the base with which to make CURD - that is, can I send my jam thru a food mill to refine the texture, heat it with butter, add eggs, and make my curd-custard? Or does the "jamming" process change the fruit/sugar at a molecular level so that it will not curd up. I hope this makes sense......
 
HalfPint
HalfPint September 18, 2014
I think it might work. It's the eggs that makes the curd set up. Try it on a double boiler to keep the eggs from scrambling. You probably will not need much extra sugar. I would also add some lemon juice for more tartness. Let us know your results.
 
HalfPint
HalfPint September 18, 2014
If your plum jam has a nice tartness to it, you can certainly use it in place of the fruit curd. And I don't think you even have to send it through the food mill, unless it is too chunky. The tartness of the curd or jam is a nice counterpoint to the straight sweetness of the pavlova. Without the tartness, the sweetness of the whole dessert can be overwhelming.
 
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