Question: What do you do with a couple of overgrown courgettes [zucchini] that have been languishing in the cupboard for the past, well, several weeks?
Answer: why you make vegan lemon curd, of course!
I’d seen recipes for lemon curd using marrows (just to be clear: I’m talking the marrow vegetable here, NOT the stuff that’s inside of bones), and most reviews of said recipes came to the same conclusion: nice, but really, really sweet.
Then I came across this recipe from nipitinthebud, who made three batches of marrow cream, reducing the sugar each time. When I made it, I reduced the sugar by one quarter yet again. Most of the recipes you see for marrow cream use almost as much sugar by weight as marrow (3-1/2 pounds sugar to 4 pounds marrow), but I used about 84% less sugar than this, and find it plenty sweet enough.
Other than reducing the sugar, I followed the recipe pretty closely, substituting vegan margarine for butter and using more lemon zest. And of course using overgrown courgettes instead of a monster marrow. I steamed the marrow flesh instead of boiling it, as I was making only about 1/5 of the recipe and this amount fit into my steamer. After I cooked the mixture for 45 minutes, it didn’t look thick enough, but I didn’t want to accidentally burn it, and thought it might thicken more as it cooled. It did, but not enough. So after a couple of days of eating it over Swedish Glace, I reheated it and added some cornflour [cornstarch] mixed with a bit of cold water, to thicken it up. (In restrospect, I probably added a bit too much cornflour.)
Okay, so how does it taste? Well — both to me and Mr Thrifty — it tastes exactly like lemon curd. Or at least, what we remember lemon curd tastes like.
I am psyched now to make orange curd, lime curd and grapefruit curd. Nom!
This is so interesting…I’ve never heard of making a cream out of marrow or their courgette cousins. This sounds like something I want to try for sure!
What an interesting recipe. I usually use leftover zucchini, as we call them in Canada, to make muffins. But this is a great idea!! Lucky you to have access to Swedish Glace 🙂
Oooh I so can not wait to try this recipe. I LOVE lemon curd.
yay, glad to hear your variation turned out well too. It’s lovely isn’t it. I describe it to people as tasting like lemon curd but with the texture of pureed apple.
Unlike last year when I had courgettes coming out of my ears this year I had just a handful of very small ones so didn’t get to make any lemon cream this year. hey ho, British weather is so unpredicatable!
Hey nic — Yeah, there is always stuff that grows well in any particular summer and stuff that doesn’t. Though some things, like sweetcorn and potatoes, always seem to do well. Leeks were a complete write-off this year.
I LOVE the pic of your zucchinis!!! Awesome and amazing. 🙂
I just found your site, and love it!! I hope you still find the time to maintain it! This particular post interested me, as well as the vegan meatballs! I don’t see the recipe for it though , can you repost it? BTW, did you finally keep chickens?!
Thanks so much!!
hi Adelina, here is the recipe for vegan meatballs. Enjoy!
oh sorry forgot to answer you about the chickens! I don’t keep them, but I’ve thought it would be nice to give a home to rescued battery hens. Maybe someday 🙂