Berry Berry Good Curd

There are many recipes out there for berry curd, all differing on the matter of butter v egg yolks. I wanted a curd that was thicker so that it could withstand the layers of cake under pressure. Thus, I chose berry curd with more yolks due to their setting integrity.

The secret for curd is tireless whisking. The last thing you want in your curd is scrambled eggs, so as you heat it, you must keep the cake going. Think the Energizer Bunny.

Whisking will give the curd a light airiness.

I used frozen fruit for this curd because it is winter and fresh berries are expensive and lackluster. They were on sale and I am cheap and we are all in a recession. I added lime to give it a tartness.

RASPBERRY (ANYBERRY) CURD (2 cups) I used about 10 cups of this for the cake which was more than enough.

SUMMARY: You will be heating the citrus component, along with the butter, and then whisk in the eggs. The mixture will be heated slowly as to no clot the eggs. FYI: clumps in the curd are buck nasty.

WARE: You will need to make a double boiler. This requires a small saucepan and a glass Pyrex bowl that it heatproof. Water goes between.

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes; active time 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

- 3 half pints of fresh raspberries or 1 cup of puree (I used frozen fruit)

- 1/2 lime, juice and zest

- 4T unsalted butter

- 1/2 c sugar

- 2 egg yolks

- 2 eggs

1. Puree your fresh or frozen berries and strain to remove the seeds. Add in lime juice and zest. If you taste the puree it will remind you of a tropical mocktail. Not not to worry the butter and the yolk will transform it into a full bodied curd.

2. Mix the butter, sugar, and fruit puree in a glass bowl.

3. Heat over a double boiler until everything has melted into a homogeneous mass. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs

4. Once the mixture is melted pour a couple spoonfuls into the eggs to heat them up. Whisk rapidly. Add a little more if the eggs are still cold. Once you have added enough of the fruit mixture to warm up the eggs, add the egg mixture back into the double boiler. WHISK WHISK WHISK! This is when the eggs would scramble if they do. Whisking will prevent that from happening.

5. Heat the mixture on the double boiler until it reaches 170F, whisking. The mixture will thicken and you will smell good things. Remove and cool.

Now do it over and over! Or get a larger bowl.