Somehow the idea of Orange Curd with Shortbread Dipping Sticks came to my mind. I could actually see it in my mind and thought it would look beautiful and taste refreshing. I was right. It's rich and bright and fun. It definitely livens up the umpteenth cup of tea we've all had by February. This photo above of my success looks pretty close to my imagination. Yum.
Orange Curd
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup orange juice
pinch of salt
For fun, I added a splash of Vahine's Orange Blossom Essence.
I had purchased a beautiful blue bottle of it in Paris and couldn't resist. Magnifique!
I am keeping the Orange Curd in the refrigerator in my Pillivuyt jam pot (featuring blueberries) that I bought on my first trip to a brick and mortar Dean & Deluca store. That is my kind of souvenir. It's the same with the Vahine essence. Items all over my kitchen remind me of my travels.
I made my Shortbread Sticks with Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa shortbread recipe. I used a knife to cut the dough into rows of clothes pin-size sticks and baked them on parchment lined cookie sheets for 15-20 minutes (watch them so that they don't brown too quickly.)
Allow them to cool and then dip away!
