Coconut curd? What’s that??
This recipe is inspired by a Malaysian favorite called kaya, a coconut jam that can be spread on toast for a sweet breakfast. Kaya is made with coconut and pandan (a leaf with a grassy, vanilla-ish flavor native to southeast Asia), as well as eggs and sugar to create a rich, custardy texture. I do not have access to fresh coconut or pandan where I live to flavor mine, so while I can’t say with confidence that this recipe could be called kaya, it is a delicious, rich coconut jam-like-spread that goes well with fruit and toast.
I fell in love with kaya when I tried it for the first time at a hotel on Malaysian Borneo. It’s smooth, creamy, and will take you right to the tropics with its mildly sweet fragrance and caramelized sugar and coconut flavor. You can buy kaya online – it’s fantastic – though there’s something really nice about eating it fresh and warm. Not being able to find it regularly in stores here in the United States (or it being super expensive when I do), I had to come up with something to satisfy my cravings.
To compliment the sweet, tropical coconut curd, a simple fruit salad with lime-honey dressing will be employed. This dressing is a simple, light splash of acidity – a really light coat is all we want. We want the fruit and the coconut curd to be the stars in this dish!
Notes for Fruit Salad on Coconut Curd Toast
- Play around with the ratios of fruits, and add and take away different fruits to make a salad you’ll enjoy! No need to stick with the fruits I’ve listed.
- Look for coconut milk in the international aisle of your local supermarket, often near the Thai or Indian products.
- It’s mega-important to stir constantly while the the curd cooks. This will result in a smooth, creamy curd.
- Try Coconut Curd on yogurt with fruit and granola for a nice breakfast!
- Also a nutritious dessert option for a hot day.
- There’s a technique called Supreming when it comes to citrus. It involves peeling the fruit, then slicing out the segments in between the inner membranes of the flesh. I find it to be very tedious and not worth the effort. I prefer to use clementine segments, not minding the texture of the thin outer membranes. You could also used canned mandarin oranges.
Fruit Salad on Coconut Curd Toast
Ingredients
Coconut Curd
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
- 1 Cup Coconut Milk, stirred well if using canned
- Pinch of Salt
Fruit Salad
- 1 Banana, ripe
- 1/2 an Apple (eat the other half while cooking!)
- 2 Clementines
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1 teaspoon Lime Juice (you could use lemon)
- Small Pinch Salt
- Toast, for serving on (this recipe will top about 4 slices)
Instructions
Make the Coconut Curd
- Combine Brown Sugar, Coconut Milk, and Salt in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat, and stir occasionally to form a homogenous mixture. We want to heat this up to just before it starts boiling – small bubbles gently popping at the surface with some visible steam.
- As mixture on the stove is heating up, separate your 4 egg yolks and mix gently in a heat-proof bowl to break them up.
- You may want to put on some music as the next steps will have you busy stirring for 10-15 minutes straight – your patience will be rewarded.
- Once mixture is simmering with gentle bubbles, but not quite boiling, pour half (just estimate) into your yolks while whisking rapidly. Once thoroughly mixed, about 5 to 10 seconds, pour the yolk mixture back into the pot. Turn heat down to medium-low and cook while whisking constantly for 10-15 minutes. You'll see some gentle bubbles popping at surface and that's good. We cook for so long here for two reasons: to thicken the curd into a luxurious spread and to evaporate water out to intensify the flavor. If you like a thick spread, cook closer to 15 minutes. If you're unsure, remember the curd will thicken up a bit more once it's cooled down – you can't really go wrong, don't overthink it.
- Once curd is finished, remove from heat. You can put it through a fine sieve here for a super creamy, smooth final product, but if you stir constantly this won't be necessary.
Make Fruit Salad
- Combine the Honey, Lime Juice, and Salt. It only needs a very small pinch of salt! We aren't going for a salty dish, the salt will just enhance the flavor of our fruit.
- Dice fruit, peel off as much pith (the white stuff) off the clementines you can, and mix in with the Honey-Lime dressing. Stir gently so you don't break up or bruise the fruit.
Put the Dish Together
- Spread Coconut Curd on a piece of toasted bread. A leftover, toasted waffle is a great choice here! Spoon on some fruit salad and eat right away. Don't put this together ahead of time or your toast will get soggy. This amount of fruit makes about 4 slices of toast.
