Raspberry Curd

Dear Sugar Diary,

Raspberries. I like raspberries. Red ones....black ones... and golden ones....I just like raspberries! Did I mention I like raspberries? (he he he) 

I wanted to share a recipe for raspberry curd. A fruit curd is basically egg yolks, sugar, fruit juice and/or zest that you cook together until it thickens. The fruit taste is intensified . Usually you will see that tart fruits are used when making a curd...like lemons, limes, oranges and raspberries.  OK- this recipe I am about to explain is great with dark chocolate cake....and can be used in cupcakes as a filling. It is also great for writing text on cakes or cookies. =)

  Raspberry Curd:

6 ounces fresh raspberries
4 ounces sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 egg yolks
8 tablespoons unsalted butter

This is what you do: 

First I puree the raspberries in my blender, I guess you can try the food processor, but I can't really tell you how that will go because I never use mine. After I puree the raspberries I run them through a strainer because I want the puree to be as smooth as I can get it. You need at least 4 oz of raspberry puree.  Pour that into a "non-reactive" pot with the sugar,egg yolks,and lemon juice. (By non-reactive I mean any pot that is NOT aluminum or copper. You CAN use stainless steel, clay, enamel,  glass or plastic.)

Now that you have all the ingredients in a proper pot...cook it over medium heat until you see it is starting to thicken and starts to boil. Take it off the heat and mix in the butter. Strain it one last time and then you can put it in a plastic container and cover tightly .. you can also place plastic wrap directly onto the surface so it does not form a skin. Put the container into the fridge and let it cool off completely. After it is cooled it ready to use. However way you would like.=) I hope you enjoy this raspberry curd as much as I like it. I also like that it isn't messy to make and doesn't require a lot of ingredients. The only thing you will probably have to go and get at the store will be the raspberries. This curd is GREAT as a cupcake filling...especially chocolate cupcakes...but vanilla will also be yum. So I hope that if you have never made a curd you will find this easy and well explained and find the time to experiment.=) You can basically change the raspberries out for lemon, lime, or orange ....You can't zest a raspberry but you CAN zest lemons. limes and oranges...so by all means...DO SO! It can be to your taste or liking. =) Happy Curd-ing! =)