Rhubarb curd is a spring favourite! Creamy, tart, and sweet, use it on toast, on ice cream, stirred into yogurt, in between cake layers, and so much more.
Have clean glass jars, with matching tight-fitting lids, and a total capacity of 3 cups (750ml), ready.
Combine the chopped rhubarb, water, and ½ cup (100g) of sugar in a medium-large pot. Cook the rhubarb over medium-low heat until the rhubarb is soft, about 13 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the rhubarb is cooking, whisk the egg yolks, salt, and the remaining ½cup (100g) of sugar in a large mixing bowl until pale and ribbony, about 1 to 2 minutes.
When the rhubarb is soft, remove it from the heat, and mash it with a potato masher or large fork. Feel free to leave some larger chunks of rhubarb if you like, or you can mash it completely smooth.
Scoop out about ½cup (113g) of hot rhubarb from the pot. Whisking quickly the entire time, slowly dribble tiny amounts of hot rhubarb into the egg yolks, whisking well in between each addition. Repeat until the entire ½cup of hot rhubarb has been whisked in. Once finished the egg yolks are now "tempered".
Stir the tempered egg yolk mixture into the pot of cooked rhubarb. Add the butter to the pot and stir. Return the pot to the stove and cook the curd over medium-low heat until it's thick, creamy, and reaches a temperature between 170ºF and 180ºF (76ºC and 82ºC), about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Carefully spoon the hot curd into the prepared clean jars. Lay the lids over the top of the jars, leaving a small space open for steam to escape. Cool the jars of curd on the counter for about 2 to 3 hours, then tighten the lids, and store in the fridge for up to one week.
Notes
To Get The Brightest Colour - For the brightest colour include as many dark pink pieces of rhubarb as possible. If you have mostly green pieces you could stir in a drop or two of red food colouring after you remove the pot from the heat. Rhubarb curd made with mostly green pieces can look almost grey. The rhubarb curd in the images in this post was made without food colouring.
Reduce The Sugar - This recipe makes a curd that is a balance of sweet and tart. If you want to reduce the amount of sugar, please note that your curd may cook faster than the recipe indicates, and may not have the same texture as using the full amount.
How To Store - This recipe makes about 3 cups of curd. I store mine in jars with lids in the fridge. A batch lasts us roughly a week. I don't bother with canning. If you prefer, you could double or triple the recipe and put up jars for pantry storage.
How Long Does Rhubarb Curd Keep - The curd will last, kept in jars with tight fitting lids, in the fridge for up to one week. Ours is always gone before that.