Pink Grapefruit Curd

Instructions

1. When choosing a grapefruit, make sure that it feels heavy for its size; this means it's extra juicy inside!
2. Start by washing the fruit and zesting it. (Be careful not to zest the underlying white pith. It's terribly bitter.) Set aside.
3. Roll the fruit on the counter under your palm to get the juices flowing and halve with a sharp knife.
4. Use a reamer or other juicing tool to extract as much juice as possible. You should get at least a 1/2 cup, if not a full 3/4 cup. Try to pluck out any pips, but it's not necessary to strain it because then you would loose all the wonderful pulp. Unless you are put off by pulp, and then, by all means, strain!
5. Measure out sugar and put whole eggs and the yolks of two more eggs into a bowl. (Discard the extra whites or use for something else.)
6. Beat the sugar and eggs together until pale and creamy.
7. Put the butter into a double boiler and melt. Add juice and zest and mix. Whisk in the sugar/egg mixture and continue to whisk over very low heat until the curd has cooked into a custard and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Immediately remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
8. DO NOT boil or overcook this, as the eggs will curdle. If you accidentally curdle it, you can save it by pushing the mixture through a seive into a bowl, but then you lose your wonderful pulp, so be careful!
9. Also, if you use a two in one double boiler like me, make sure you take it out of the pan right away and let it sit in a bowl to cool. The residual heat will definitely cause it to curdle.
10. After it has cooled, put into a resealable jar(s).
11. Refrigerate and use within 3 weeks.
12. Makes 16 ounces of curd.
13. Eat it on toast, scones, or use it in a tart. It tastes DIVINE topped with meringue. Or you can just eat it out of the jar with a spoon like I do!