Can I Mix Passionfruit Juice Into Store-Bought Lemon Curd Instead Of Making Passionfruit Curd?

Our answer

NIgella's Passionfruit Curd (from {FEAST](/books/feast)) is, like most curds, made with passionfruit juice, sugar, butter and egg yolks. As the mixture is cooked, the egg yolks thicken the curd. Homemade curds can usually reach a "safe" temperature as the acid in the fruit juice stabilises the egg yolks and lets them tolerate slightly higher temperatures. But if you are giving the curd to vulnerable people then it is best to be safe and sure. You may also be able to buy pasteurised egg yolks, which can be used for curds.

There are quite a few differently flavoured curds available but you may need to buy them online or in a delicatessen, whereas most supermarkets sell lemon curd. One thing you must bear in mind when adding fruit juice to a curd is that it will loosen the consistency of the curd, making it thinner. So it really depends what you are using the mixture for. If it is to fold into whipped cream or a cream cheese mixture, such as the No-Fuss Fruit Tart or to drizzle over something then it should be fine, but if you wanted to use it for a tart filling, such as the Bitter Orange Tart, then unfortunately it will be too runny.