Fruit Curd
intermediate—serves 2–4
½ cup fresh fruit juice, strained
2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
½ cup superfine or quick-dissolve sugar
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1 Tbsp. heavy cream
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of table salt
Heat juice in a small saucepan until hot. In a bowl, whisk eggs and yolk; gradually whisk in sugar. Still whisking, slowly pour hot juice into eggs. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat. Stir constantly with wooden spoon until mixture begins to resemble lightly cooked scrambled eggs and is thick enough to leave a trail behind a spoon. Immediately remove pan from heat and stir in cold butter. Stir in cream, vanilla, and salt. Allow to cool before serving. Delicious as a jam-like spread or for use in desserts. Curd will keep refrigerated up to one week.
Recently Joy acted on a persistent daydream by converting part of her backyard into a garden for berries and a second garden to build up the soil for vegetables. When she isn’t tending these new gardens, she dabbles in food styling and design for Edible Ohio Valley and volunteers on a local farm.
