Berry Curd Recipes

MIXED BERRY CURD

Steps:

• Place the frozen berries in a small sauce pot. Cook for 3 minutes on medium-low heat. Add the sugar, lemon juice, salt, and vanilla extract. Allow to cook until the sugar is dissolved and all of the berries are unthawed, about 8 minutes.
• Transfer the berries and their liquid to a blender or food processor. Process until thoroughly blended, about 3 minutes.
• Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the berry sauce into the strainer to strain out the seeds. Use a spoon to help push the liquid through; discard the seeds. The berry sauce should yield about 3 cups. Set the berry sauce aside.
• Add 2 inches of water to a small sauce pan and set on high to boil and reduce to a simmer. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Place the bowl of egg yolks on top of the pot of simmering water. Make sure the water is not touching the bowl; it's the steam that will cook the eggs.
• Stir the eggs with a wooden spoon constantly, for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until the eggs have thickened and stick to the spoon. It is very important that you stir constantly so that the eggs don't get too warm and begin to scramble. Remove the bowl from the heat immediately.
• If there are bits of cooked egg in your curd, then strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove.
• Stir in the chunks of butter one by one until they are each melted. Add 2 ½ cups of the berry sauce to the curd**. Mix thoroughly. You can reserve the ½ cup of berry sauce to use in yogurt, on top of ice cream or for a curd in the future. Store in an airtight container for 2 weeks or in the freezer for several months.
• Transfer the berry curd to an airtight container. Place plastic wrap just touching the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours to chill before serving.
• Serve with sugar cookies, shortbread cookies, scones, muffins, toast, or stir into yogurt or oatmeal. It would even be delicious with some vanilla ice cream. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

TRIPLE BERRY CURD

Steps:

• Place all berries in a blender, and process until smooth. Press berry mixture through a sieve over a medium bowl using the back of a spoon, reserving 1 cup puree; discard seeds. Reserve any of remaining puree for another use; store in the refrigerator.
• Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium, heavy saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Stir in 1 cup puree, juice, and eggs. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add butter, stirring gently until butter melts. Cool.
• Spoon mixture into a medium bowl; cover and chill for at least 6 hours or overnight (mixture will thicken as it cools).

BLUEBERRY CURD

Steps:

• Place the blueberries and lime zest in a covered saucepan with 1 tablespoon water and cook gently, shaking the pan occasionally, until very soft (about 10 minutes.). Press through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler, then stir in the butter and sugar and put over a saucepan of gently simmering water; do not allow the bottom of the bowl to sit in the water. Heat gently, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted.
• Strain in the eggs and continue to stir over gently simmering water until the curd thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, which should take 30-40 minutes. Stir only occasionally at first, more frequently as the cooking progresses, then constantly toward the end so that the curd cooks evenly and does not curdle. The water must not boil.
• Strain the curd, if necessary, into clean, dry jars. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.