Strawberry Lime Curd Food

STRAWBERRY-LIME CURD

Steps:

• Mix strawberry puree, sugar, cornstarch, lime zest, lime juice, and salt in a bowl.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove from heat and stir in strawberry mixture until well combined. Add egg yolks, stir, and return to heat.
• Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until strawberry curd coats the back of a spoon and is slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.

STRAWBERRY-LEMON CURD TART

Steps:

• For curd:
• Whisk eggs, sugar, and lemon juice in heavy small saucepan to blend. Add butter and lemon peel. Stir over medium heat until curd thickens to pudding consistency, about 8 minutes. Transfer to small bowl. Press plastic wrap onto surface of curd and chill at least 2 hours.
• For crust:
• Combine flour, sugar, and salt in processor; blend 5 seconds. Add butter; using on/off turns, blend until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons cream and yolk. Blend until moist clumps form, adding more cream by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap and chill 1 hour. (Curd and dough can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.)
• Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold overhang in and press firmly, forming double-thick sides. Pierce crust all over with fork; refrigerate 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake crust until golden, pressing with back of fork if crust bubbles, about 20 minutes. Cool crust completely on rack.
• Spread curd in crust. Stand berries in curd. Strain jam into saucepan; warm briefly to thin. Brush jam over berries. Chill tart until glaze sets, at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours. Release tart from pan

FRESH LIME CURD

Steps:

• Place the sugar, butter, lime juice, lime zest in the top of a double boiler; stir over medium-high heat until butter melts. Mix 2 tablespoons hot lime mixture into the eggs and stir to blend.
• Reduce heat to medium until water simmers. Slowly whisk egg mixture into the lime mixture. Cook over the double boiler until lime mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly and spoon into a clean, glass jar. Cover and refrigerate.

STRAWBERRY CURD

Steps:

• Place strawberries plus 2 Tbsp of water in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Cover and bring to the boiling point. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the strawberries become very soft.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer strawberries to mesh sieve. Place sieve over a clean, heatproof bowl and use the back of a spoon to push strawberries through the mesh sieve. Keep pressing the pull through. Add the pulp into the strained strawberry liquid.
• Place the heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water on medium heat. Make sure the bowl fits snugly and that the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Add the sugar, beaten eggs and butter to the bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until the butter melts. Continue to stir constantly for about 10 minutes.
• Turn the heat up and continue to stir for another 10 minutes. It's important to keep stirring otherwise the mixture could curdle.
• Stir for another few minutes or until the mixture thickens. Turn off the heat and stir again. Carefully pour mixture into hot sterilized jars and seal.
• Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

FRESH STRAWBERRIES WITH LEMON CURD

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine lemon juice, butter and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Cool.
• Place beaten egg yolks in a small bowl. Spoon 2 tablespoons lemon juice mixture into egg yolks, mix well then add back to remaining lemon juice mixture. Return to heat and slowly bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once mixture is boiling, remove from heat and cool.
• In a blender, combine 1/2 cup diced strawberries, sugar and water. Puree until smooth to form sauce.
• Place 2 tablespoons strawberry sauce on each plate. Top with 1/2 cup sliced strawberries and 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon curd.

LIME CURD TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar together until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Press the dough into a 10-inch-round or 9-inch-square false-bottom tart pan, making sure that the finished edge is flat. Chill until firm.
• Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil to fit inside the tart and place it, buttered side down, on the pastry. Fill with beans or rice. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, prick the tart all over with the tines of a fork, and bake again for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Remove the zest of 4 limes with a vegetable peeler or zester, being careful to avoid the white pith. Squeeze the limes to make 1/2 cup of juice and set the juice aside. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the sugar and process for 2 to 3 minutes, until the zest is very finely minced. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar and lime zest. Add-- the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lime juice and salt. Mix until combined.
• Pour the mixture into a 2-quart saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. The lime curd will thicken at about 175 degrees F, or just below a simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Fill the tart shell with warm lime curd and allow to set at room temperature. Once set, serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.