Crazy for Curd!

Pineapple, strawberry & Mango curd

Ever wanted to make a fruit custard? Here it is...curd. The name might not sound appealing, but after you try this you'll go "Crazy for Curd!" like I did. You can do this recipe with any fruit. I will list the base recipe and then tell you the varieties I've made.

Curd Base recipe:

Fruit - the amount will depend on the type of fruit you are doing.

1 lb. Strawberries

1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter

1/2 Cup Sugar (white)

1 Tablespoon Cornstarch

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice (can substitute and use lime juice or other fruit juice)

4 Egg Yolks

1 small Package Gelatin (no flavor)

Ignore the expiration date. I just used the box for the picture. I promise I bought used new gelatin when making this recipe.

Directions:

1. Puree fruit (using "whole juice" setting on the Blendtec). Over a clean bowl or large measuring cup, pour the puree through a fine mesh sieve. This will remove seeds and extra pulp from the fruit.

2. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt butter. Remove pan from heat. Whisk in sugar, cornstarch, gelatin, fruit puree and lemon juice. Whisk in egg yolks one at a time until fully combined. Return mixture to heat. Continue whisking occasionally until thickened. Remove from heat.

3. Transfer to desired storage container. Cover and cool in fridge for a few hours before serving.

Now let me show you all the fruits I made into curd with this recipe.

Stawberry Curd. If using a 2 lb. container, double the recipe above.

Pineapple Curd. if you use the whole pineapple, you will want to double the recipe.

Mango Curd. This one is a little more complicated because I have tips on how to cut a mango. I like to use the honey Champagne Mangoes from Sam's Club. They are so delicious and I found a good way to maximize the amount of mango you get off the seed. Mango seeds are wide and flat, and go through most of the fruit. So, here's my advice of cutting mango.

1. Cut off the stem at the bottom.

2. Peel the skin off.

3. Cut off a small slice on the side so you can stand the mango up while cutting off the rest.

4. Cut off as much mango as you can. It will get hard to cut through when you reach the seed.

After you have cooled the curd in the fridge and it is set, you can use a piping bag or cupcake injector to put curd into dessert cups. You can top your dessert bars with curd. Make frosting or cheesecake with it. There are so many options.

Mango & pineapple cured topped with Raspberries