Orange Curd

I'm hosting a baby shower tomorrow for a sweet friend and one of the treats I'm making is Creamsicle Cupcakes.  I'm making a vanilla bean cupcake, filling them with orange curd and then topping them with orange buttercream.  

One of my favorite things to make is Lemon Curd.  It's a fun process and the end result couldn't be more rewarding.  We still have a few oranges high up on our tree, so I couldn't think of a better use for them then making a batch of orange curd.  I based my orange curd recipe on my favorite lemon curd recipe (Martha's). This curd is not as zippy as lemon, but is bright and citrusy and a fun new twist.

Orange Curd
8 egg yolks
1 cup of sugar
2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 stick of cold butter cubed(1/4 cup)
orange gel food coloring (optional)

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, egg yolks, zest and juice.  Mix until smooth with a wire whisk.  Bring the mixture to a boil and cook stirring constantly for about 8-10 mins.  When the mixture thickens and can coat the back of a wooden spoon, then you know it is done.  Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until it is melted.  Then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps and the big pieces of zest.  Pour into canning jars, seal and store in the fridge.

Because orange juice doesn't give a really bright orange color, you may want to add a tiny bit of orange gel food coloring to the mixture with the butter.  But, this is totally optional.

I hope you all have a great weekend.  Take some time to make something homemade and from scratch this weekend. You'll feel totally productive and your family and friends will be pleased.