When Life Gives You Blackberries ... Make Blackberry Curd
- inmykitchenwithyou
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 16 hours ago
They say when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade ... But every now and then, life has other plans ...
Not long ago, I mentioned to my husband that we really ought to go blackberry picking. I had a craving to make a blackberry curd and imagined an afternoon spent wandering the hedgerows, returning home with purple-stained fingers and enough berries to fill a basket.
About twenty minutes later, there was a quiet knock at the door, and on the doorstep sat a generous tub of freshly picked blackberries, left by a friend who had no idea about the conversation we'd just had ... Coincidence? Serendipity? A little everyday magic? ... I'll let you decide. All I know is this ... When life gives you blackberries ... make Blackberry Magic Curd, and somehow the name seems to have chosen itself.
Microwave Blackberry Curd
Most fruit curds are stirred patiently over simmering water, demanding your full attention while you nervously watch for the moment the eggs decide they'd rather become scrambled. This one takes a rather different approach.
Everything comes together in the microwave, cooked gently in short bursts with nothing more demanding than the occasional whisk. It feels almost too easy the first time you make it, yet somehow transforms into a silky, jewel coloured curd that tastes of late summer hedgerows.
I also make one small change that I think makes all the difference. I always finish my curds with salted butter. It isn't enough to make the curd taste salty. Instead, it quietly rounds everything out, lifting the fruit and adding a richness that makes each spoonful feel impossibly luxurious.
The colour alone is enough to stop you in your tracks ... somewhere between blackberry velvet and polished garnet ... glossy enough to catch the light, with that unmistakable scent of warm hedgerows as you lift the spoon.
Spread it generously on warm toast, swirl it through Greek yoghurt, spoon it into little tart shells, sandwich it between sponge cakes, fold it through whipped cream, or, if no one is watching ... eat it straight from the jar with a teaspoon. I won't tell, because I quite possibly will be doing the same thing!
Microwave Blackberry Magic Curd
Blackberry Curd - A little kitchen serendipity in a jar.
Makes: Approximately 450g
Ingredients
300g blackberries (This should yield about 6 oz (170g) smooth blackberry purée)
5 oz (140g) caster sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
4½ oz (125g) salted butter, diced
Method
Place the blackberries into a saucepan, long with 2 tbsp of water if you blackberries are on the smaller side, and cook gently until soft and bursting. Pass through a fine sieve, pressing firmly to extract as much juice and pulp as possible. Allow to cool slightly.
In a large microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the blackberry purée, caster sugar, lemon juice, eggs and egg yolks until smooth.
Microwave on High for 1 minute, whisk well, then continue cooking in 30-second bursts, whisking thoroughly after each one. It will seem to get thinner during this process, but suddenly it will start to thicken
The curd is ready when it coats the back of a spoon or reaches around 82–84°C if using a thermometer. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
Add the cubed salted butter and stir until completely melted and glossy.
Pour into sterilised jars, cover the surface if desired to prevent a skin forming, and refrigerate until completely chilled.
Jo's Kitchen Notes
Keeps for around 2 weeks in the fridge.
The curd freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.
Wonderful layered into trifles, folded into buttercream, drizzled over cheesecake, or spooned onto warm crumpets.
Sometimes the very best ingredients aren't found on a shopping list ... Sometimes they arrive quietly on your doorstep.
