Apricot Curd

I noticed the other day that the veg shop had fresh Apricots in again so time to dust down the recipe book and get cracking putting up some special preserves for the pantry. I love fruit curds simply spread on good bread and butter, but they can be used in many different ways. Although I have not made this one yet, it looks a simple enough recipe that means you don't have to spend pounds and pounds on buying loads of Apricots, which appealed to me as funds are a little tight at the moment.

Ingredients
1/2 lb fresh apricots
1 lemon
2ozs butter
1/2lb castor sugar
very little water
2 eggs

Method

1. Wash the fruit and put into a preserving pan or saucepan with a very little water and cook until soft. Then pass it through a sieve.
2. Put the fruit into your chosen pan [traditionally a double saucepan or if you haven't got one of these a mixing bowl over a pan of boiling water will do the trick. The important thing is that you should not allow any boiling water to get into the bowl so it should be kept at a simmer] with the sugar butter juice and grated rind of the lemon. When the sugar has dissolved add the beaten eggs and stir mixture until it thickens; this is when it coats the back of a wooden spoon and you can make a trail with your finger without it joining up again; be careful though when adding the eggs as you don't want scrambled eggs.
3. Pour into hot jars and cover.