Vegan lemon honey

Lemon honey (also called curd) made without eggs or butter makes a great gift for vegan friends and although not vegan myself I enjoy it just as much as the egg-based curd. And it is just the thing for using up the home-grown zucchinis that get away on me and turn into marrows! I use my own home-grown lemons, too. I enjoy a spoonful most mornings on top of plain Greek yoghurt with cereal. And it's also nice on toast or scones and Mmmm... the passion-fruit variation is the absolute best pavlova topping.

Ingredients

500 g	Marrow, peeled and diced with the fibrous centre and seeds removed, or if using young zucchini, peel and dice, but do not remove centres (Main)
500 g	Sugar
80 ml	Rice bran oil
2	Lemons

Directions

1. Prepare the marrow or zucchini as described above and steam over boiling water or microwave it until tender. Transfer to a pot and puree with a stick-blender. (Alternatively you can use a food processor or push through a sieve but this is a messy business. The stick blender is the way to go).
2. Remove the zest from the lemons with a microplane grater, or peel thinly with a vege peeler and then finely chop the peel. Juice the lemons. Add the zest and juice to the zucchini in the pot along with the sugar and oil.
3. Place pot over low to moderate heat and stir until sugar is dissolved, then simmer uncovered for around 40 minutes, stirring frequently. When it is thick and smooth, remove from heat, pour into pre-heated small jars (I recycle jam jars)and screw the lids on while hot. The lids should seal as the curd cools and the curd will then keep for ages (6-12 months) without refrigeration. But once opened, keep in the fridge and use within 6-8 weeks.
4. Variation: Passionfruit Lemon Honey: Add the pulp and juice of 2 passionfruit to the pot in step 2. Add 5 minutes or so to the cooking time. (Passionfruit Lemon Honey is delicious on toast. Or for a real treat, drizzle it over the whipped cream of a pavlova. Add a few whole strawberries if you have them but it will still be delicious with just the curd).