Cranberry Curd

Smooth, creamy and a bit tart, this curd will be something you’ll want to slather as filling in cupcakes, sugar cookies, spoon into tart shells, on pancakes, or on plain yogurt. If you’re like me, you may not even be able to resist eating it right out of the jar by the spoonful. Fruit curds are ridiculously easy to make and besides that, they freeze really well. You can make some now and save it for later, but they are also nice decorated with a pretty bow and given as a Thanksgiving hostess gift or Christmas treat. With cranberry season in high gear right now and farmers bringing in their ruby red crops, why not pick up a bag and whip up a delicious curd to enjoy?

• ½ lb fresh cranberries
• ½ cup water
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg
• ½ cup sugar

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cranberries and water to a boil. Let the cranberries pop and sizzle.
2. Once the mixture has come to a boil and the cranberries are popping and breaking down, take the saucepan off the heat. Pour the mixture into a fine mesh sieve set over a medium sized bow or 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup. Press down on the cranberry mixture with a wooden spoon, pushing the liquid and any other cooked down fruit through the sieve. Make sure to scrape the underside of the sieve and all the thick fruit mixture that will cling there. Let the mixture cool to room temperature. Discard the fruit pulp leftover, then rinse and dry the sieve.
3. Whisk the egg, egg yolks together in a bowl, and then continuing to whisk, gradually add the sugar and whisk well until the mixture is a light yellow color.
4. Gradually whisk the cranberry mixture and the egg mixture together, until smooth and creamy. You’ll have a few bits of cranberry in there, but that’s okay.
5. Place the saucepan over heat and add the butter. Whisk, whisk, whisk constantly until the curd thickens. It takes about 8-10 minutes and you can’t leave the stove or be distracted, as the time it takes to go from a creamy curd to a bunch of sweet scrambled eggs is very fast. Once your mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon and you can run your finger through it and the line stays, your curd is ready.  Pour the curd through a sieve again, forcing it through with a spatula to catch any eggy bits that may have formed. You can now spoon it into jars, allow to cool somewhat on the counter, and then top with a lid and set in the fridge.
6. The curd will keep for about a week in the fridge, or a month in your freezer. I sincerely doubt it will last that long.