Berry Curd Food

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.

LEMON CURD WITH BERRIES

Steps:

• Bring lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup sugar to a bare simmer in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisking to dissolve sugar, then remove from heat.
• Whisk eggs, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until light and thick, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, gradually pour about one-quarter of hot lemon mixture into egg mixture, then, whisking constantly, incorporate egg mixture into remaining lemon mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until lemon curd is opaque and thick enough to hold the marks of the whisk, about 2 minutes.
• Scrape lemon curd into a blender. With motor on medium speed, add butter a piece at a time, waiting until each piece is fully incorporated before adding the next, until the butter is emulsified and curd is light and thick.
• Transfer lemon curd to a large nonreactive bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly against surface so a skin doesn't form. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours.
• Toss berries and remaining 1-2 Tbsp. sugar in another large bowl. Let sit until some juices have accumulated, 25-30 minutes. Spoon curd into bowls and top with berries and their juices.
• Do Ahead
• Lemon curd can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

RASPBERRY CURD

Steps:

• Sieve raspberries through a strainer, pressing with the back of a spoon; reserve 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon juice. Discard seeds in sieve. , In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; add raspberry juice and butter. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks until well blended. Stir in half of the raspberry mixture. Return all to saucepan; bring to a gently boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes. , Place into small jars; place plastic wrap on surface of curd. Cover and chill. Store in the refrigerator.

RASPBERRY CURD

Steps:

• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
• Add raspberries, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, zest, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until curd coats the back of a spoon and is slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Strain curd through a fine mesh sieve, mashing the raspberries with the back of a spoon.

HOMEMADE BERRY CURD DESSERT RECIPE

Steps:

• If using strawberries, hull and coarsely chop the berries. Raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries can be used whole.
• In a medium saucepan or pot over medium-high heat, combine the berries, sugar, lemon juice, butter, and salt. Cook, stirring regularly as the butter melts and the berries begin to break down. Do not boil. Cook until the fruit softens and falls apart, about 15 minutes, then remove from the heat.
• Break the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Slowly add a ½ cup of the berry mixture to the eggs, a little at a time, while stirring to incorporate. 4 Add the tempered egg and berry mixture to the pot, pouring slowly in a thin stream while whisking until the mixture is uniform. Return the pot to low heat, stir constantly as the curd thickens, about 15 minutes. Do not allow to simmer.
• Taste and add more sugar, if desired.
• Place a large mesh strainer over a mixing bowl. Pour half the berry mixture into the strainer and, using a rubber spatula or mixing spoon, press the solids into the mesh so the curd passes through and the seeds and skins are caught. When the first half is done, discard the solids and strain the second half of the mixture.
• Refrigerate the curd for up to a week in an airtight container or freeze for up to 6 months.

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).

LEMON CURD TRIFLE WITH FRESH BERRIES

Steps:

• To make the lemon curd: Bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Combine the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a metal or glass heat-resistant bowl and whisk until smooth. Set the bowl over the simmering water, without letting the bottom touch, and continue to whisk. Keep working-out that arm and whisk it vigorously for a good 10 minutes, until the curd has doubled in volume and is very thick and yellow. Don't let it boil. Remove the bowl from heat and whisk in the butter, a couple of chunks at a time, until melted. Refrigerate until the custard is cold and firm.
• To build the trifle: put the berries in a mixing bowl and toss them together so they are evenly distributed. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled lemon curd to lighten it up into a mousse. Line a glass trifle bowl with pieces of pound cake to fit. Drizzle or brush the cake with the Limoncello, spoon a layer of the lemon curd over the cake, and then a layer of mixed berries. Repeat the layers until the ingredients are used up, the last layer looks best if it's the berries. Chill before serving. Garnish with fresh mint.

BERRY TRIFLE

Steps:

• Place the berries into a large bowl and sprinkle with half of the lemon juice. Lightly toss.
• Combine the berries, sugar, cornstarch and remaining lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook just until the berries begin to break down and give up their juices, about 3 minutes. Take the berries off the heat and let cool; the mixture should thicken up as is cools.
• In a clean bowl, whip the cream with the sugar and the vanilla to soft peaks. Put the lemon curd into a second bowl and stir in a little of the whipped cream to loosen it. Then fold in the rest of the cream.
• To assemble the trifle, spoon a layer of the lemon cream into a large glass bowl. Add a layer of pound cake, breaking the slices into pieces that fit. Then soak the cake with a layer of berries and their juices. Keep going to make 3 or 4 more layers, depending on the size of the bowl, finishing with a layer of lemon cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

LUSCIOUS RASPBERRY CURD

Steps:

• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; add in the raspberries, egg yolks, sugar, and salt.
• Cook, mashing the berries and stirring frequently at first and then constantly at the end, until thickened-about 10 minutes.
• Pour the mixture through a coarse strainer set over a bowl, pressing hard on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
• Cool to room temperature; the curd will continue to thicken as it cools.
• Stir in lemon juice, to taste.
• Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve, or up to 1 month.

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.