Strawberry Curd
A bright, silky strawberry curd made with fresh strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, eggs, and butter. Chill before using.
Servings: 3 servings
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 poundstrawberries fresh
- 1/2 cupgranulated sugar
- 1 tablespoonlemon juice
- 2 largeeggs
- 3 largeegg yolks
- 1/2 cupsalted butter cut into 1-tbsp pieces
Instructions
Instructions
- Rinse the strawberries, remove the stems, and roughly chop them.
- Purée the chopped strawberries in a food processor or blender until smooth.
- Transfer the puréed strawberries to a medium saucepan and add the granulated sugar and lemon juice; stir to combine.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking regularly, and simmer for about 10 minutes until the mixture has reduced by roughly half.
- Use a spatula to press the hot strawberry mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl or saucepan, discarding seeds and solids. Set the strained purée aside to cool to room temperature.
- If you used the same saucepan earlier, wash and dry it, then return the cooled strawberry purée to the clean saucepan.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the 2 large eggs and the 3 large egg yolks until blended.
- Whisk the eggs into the cooled strawberry purée until smooth.
- Cook the mixture over medium-low to medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 6 to 8 minutes until the curd thickens and coats the back of a spoon (do not let it boil).
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately whisk in the 1/2 cup salted butter pieces, adding them a few at a time until fully incorporated and the curd is smooth.
- Transfer the hot strawberry curd to sterile canning jars or a heatproof bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming.
- Let the curd cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 1–2 hours before using. Remove the plastic wrap once the curd has cooled.
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Medium Saucepan
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Fine Mesh Sieve
- sterile canning jars or heatproof bowl
- Plastic Wrap
Notes
The color of your strawberry curd will reflect the color of your strawberries. For the deepest curd, use ripe off the vine strawberries when you can find them.
You can also cook down your strawberries with the lemon juice and white sugar without puréeing them. Use an immersion blender or transfer the cooked mixture to a blender to break down any pieces that are still there after cooking.
Taste the strawberry mixture after the initial cook time (before straining and adding the eggs) for sweetness. If your strawberries are not as ripe, you may want to add more sugar.
Since we’re heating the eggs and cooked strawberry mixture from room temperature, the eggs will not curdle or scramble. Do not add the eggs to the strawberry mixture while it’s still hot. Passing the strawberry mixture through a sieve will help cool down the mixture quite a bit.
Between the heat and whisking, the curd gets foamy while cooking. As the curd begins to thicken, the foam settles down, and then the addition of the butter eliminates the foam after cooking.
You can also cook down your strawberries with the lemon juice and white sugar without puréeing them. Use an immersion blender or transfer the cooked mixture to a blender to break down any pieces that are still there after cooking.
Taste the strawberry mixture after the initial cook time (before straining and adding the eggs) for sweetness. If your strawberries are not as ripe, you may want to add more sugar.
Since we’re heating the eggs and cooked strawberry mixture from room temperature, the eggs will not curdle or scramble. Do not add the eggs to the strawberry mixture while it’s still hot. Passing the strawberry mixture through a sieve will help cool down the mixture quite a bit.
Between the heat and whisking, the curd gets foamy while cooking. As the curd begins to thicken, the foam settles down, and then the addition of the butter eliminates the foam after cooking.