Cranberry Curd

Cranberry Curd, if you've ever tasted it, is the fall version of lemon curd! I can't stop eating it or looking at it! The color, a beautiful crimson, has the perfect holiday vibes!

What is Curd?

Curd is a fruit spread made with juice, sugar, eggs and butter. Lemons are the most popular and earliest known fruit that curd was made of. However, today we find all kinds of exotic flavors, such as this cranberry curd right here.

What Do You Eat Curd With?

When curd was first invented, in the late 19th century, it was primarily eaten with bread or scones, in place of jam. Now a days, there are many different ways to eat it. Some of the best ideas are listed in zestfulkitchen.com and include everything from oatmeal to parfaits.

I personally am planning on making a batch of my no-churn-vanilla-bean-ice-cream and making some parfaits using some of this delicious cranberry curd!

A holiday trifle with this would be perfect as well. Some plain cake layered with the curd, some mascarpone and fruit. SImple, yet delicious!

Another great option is a tart. You can use my sweet-tart-crust recipe or use a store bought crust. For the tart, pour the curd in the crust and bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees so it sets. Cool and serve!

Another favorite is to put the curd in jars and distribute it as gifts to friends . I love giving homemade food as gifts to people, I feel it's an act of love and alot more thoughtful than store bought gifts.

The Recipe

As when making any curd, during the cooking process, timing is key. To make sure that my curd is silky smooth and doesn't curdle, I keep all my ingredients measured and handy.

Cranberry season is so short lived that I like to buy a large batch of berries and freeze them to use throughout the year. When making the curd, I take them straight from the freezer and put them in the saucepan with the other ingredients to boil them.

As the berries cook, pectin is released and a thick mixture is formed. I mash the berries with a masher and then strain them through a sieve. If you want to shorten the cooking time and don't mind some texture in your curd, you can use an immersion blender to puree and skip the straining. However, the curd won't be as silky this way.

When adding the eggs, it's important to pour them in a gentle stream and stir constantly. This insures that they don't curdle. Keep stirring till they thicken. At this point add the cornstarch slurry.

This is not essential and you will find that there are many recipes that don't have it in their list of ingredients. However, I like to add it as it gives the curd a nice glossy finish. Once again, stir constantly and as soon as the curd thickens and glosses turn the stove off.

At this point, add in the butter 2 tablespoons at a time, till it completely melts. Let the mixture cool to room temperature before putting it in jars to store.

Storing The Curd

Storing the curd is easy, depending on how you want to go about it:

The Fridge: Store the curd in glass canning jars {make sure to sterilize them first} and store it in the fridge for upto 2 weeks.

The Freezer: Store in an airtight container for upto a year. That's right! This will stay good in your freezer for upto 1 year!

Now go make yourself a batch and post some pictures and tag me when you do! A rating and comment would be awesome too!