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Strawberry Lemon Curd, sweet, tart, and delicate pink

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I have a soft spot for fruit and citrus curds. They’re the posh, upscale cousin of jams and jellies and preserves. Rich with butter, thickened by eggs, they mound up elegantly on a spoon.

They feel decadent, special, and yet are incredibly easy to make.

And there’s nothing wrong with classic lemon curd (or, uh, lemon bars like these). But it’s almost, somehow, May. And I’m ready to transition to spring flavors. Which is where this strawberry lemon curd comes in.

Strawberry Lemon Curd. From Blossom to Stem | www.blossomtostem.net

The first outdoor farmers markets don’t start until next week and local strawberries are probably still a good month or more away, so I’m relying on convenient frozen ones here.

I’m not much, usually, for frozen strawberries. I mean I’ll throw them in a smoothie, but otherwise they’re one of the last frozen fruits I’m likely to reach for in general. Unlike, say, frozen blueberries, when baked they can go soggy enough to make a muffin sad.

But they work beautifully here. Their flavor is at least as good, if not better than the fresh berries shipped in from across the country or halfway around the world, because frozen fruits are frozen pretty darn near their peak ripeness, and they’re usually cheaper too. And the way they readily release their juices when heated is actually a benefit rather than an annoyance here.

That said, if you have an abundance of fresh strawberries, they’ll absolutely work here.

Strawberry Lemon Curd. From Blossom to Stem | www.blossomtostem.net
Strawberry Lemon Curd. From Blossom to Stem | www.blossomtostem.net

I love the combination of strawberries and lemon. The sweetness of the strawberries and the bright acidity of the lemons play well together and they both play very well with butter and sugar and eggs.

Here, the frozen strawberries take a bath in a little hot water and get simmered until they’re just soft.

Then they go into a blender along with sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Then the eggs go in for a quick spin.

Then everything goes back on the stove where it gets heated gently to 170°F, just to the point where the eggs are primed to give the curd a silky texture without overcooked egg bits getting in the way.

Then it gets passed through a fine mesh strainer and poured into jars to rest in the refrigerator for a few hours until it sets up nicely.

Strawberry Lemon Curd. From Blossom to Stem | www.blossomtostem.net

This strawberry lemon curd is, at its heart, still a lemon curd. While the strawberries make their presence known here, they’re support players. I almost think of this like a spreadable pink lemonade.

Strawberry Lemon Curd. From Blossom to Stem | www.blossomtostem.net

I love this stirred into plain yogurt or spread on a scone, and it would be delightful as an accompaniment to a lemon buttermilk cake. And really, it’s kinda the perfect shade of delicate spring pink.

Strawberry Lemon Curd. From Blossom to Stem | www.blossomtostem.net
Yield: 2 cups

Strawberry Lemon Curd

Strawberry Lemon Curd. From Blossom to Stem | www.blossomtostem.net

This curd is, at heart, a lemon curd. It's still tart and bright and acidic, but the sweetness of the strawberries bring their lovely berry flavor notes to the party. This is a rare case where I use frozen strawberries. Fresh strawberries will absolutely work if you have them (but you won't need to simmer them first, just skip straight to the blender part). It'll help to have an instant read thermometer (I like the ones from ThermoWorks), a citrus squeezer,  a heavy-bottomed sauce pan or saucier, a blender, and a fine mesh strainer for this recipe. [EDIT: After several reports of people having trouble with this setting, I've adjusted the recipe reduce the liquid and to add another egg, which will make a firmer curd.]

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups frozen strawberries
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • zest of one lemon
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 3-4 lemons
  • 4 large eggs
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and sliced into 6 roughly even slices

Instructions

  1. Add the strawberries to a medium heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium high heat. Simmer the strawberries until they have some give when prodded with a silicone spatula. You don't want very cooked berries, but you don't want frozen centers either. About 5 minutes.
  2. Add the strawberries to a blender. Then add the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice, and blend until thoroughly pureed. Then crack each egg into the blender and blend until just incorporated (just a quick zizz for these). 
  3. Add the mixture to your saucepan, and heat gently over medium-low heat, stirring frequently with a heat safe spatula, until the mixture reaches 170°F on an instant read thermometer. Remove from heat. Add the butter and stir gently. The mixture will be fairly runny, but don't worry, it will thicken up in the refrigerator.
  4. Pour through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl (ideally one with a pouring spout). Transfer to jars or other airtight containers and refrigerate until set, about 2-3 hours. 

Notes

Keeps refrigerated for at least two weeks

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 69Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 11mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 1g

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Ei

Monday 4th of April 2022

I made this and while it tastes wonderful, it didn’t set up - super runny. I’m wondering if the strawberries are just too much liquid; it’s almost the same as my lemon curd recipe which sets up just fine. I def brought it to temp - even with 4 eggs. Boo.

Mary Kasprzak

Tuesday 5th of April 2022

Hmm. I know this worked for me multiple times when I tested it, but there may be greater variation in the amount of water in strawberries than the ones I worked with.

Therese

Wednesday 2nd of March 2022

My first time making curd. I followed the instructions exactly and the curd did not set at all. Runny as soup even after a night in the fridge. It tastes good though.

Maureen

Monday 16th of December 2019

Hopeless recipe, despite following recipe the curd was very liquid and never set. Ok flavour.

Laura

Friday 11th of September 2020

@Mary Kasprzak, I have now made it twice with similar issues but the taste is fantastic so I've been thickening it with corn starch.

Mary Kasprzak

Monday 16th of December 2019

I'm sorry it didn't work for you! I'm not sure what went wrong. I haven't had any other reports of people having trouble with it.

Max

Tuesday 28th of November 2017

You haven't added butter to the recipe!

Mary

Tuesday 28th of November 2017

Good catch! Fixed!

Marsha Farmer

Monday 31st of July 2017

I made this tonight and followed the recipe. It was wonderful…thank you for posting!

Mary

Wednesday 2nd of August 2017

Thanks, Marsha! I'm so glad you liked it!

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