Curdish Revolution Connemara Blackberry Curd

Like my Blackberry Chutney, this is another way to use blackberries.

The final result is a stunning lemon and blackberry flavour with a creamy, buttery texture


It tastes really nice, perhaps a little too sweet, so in future I'll just reduce the sugar content a bit, and maybe use a little carrageen, I just need a little more tartness.

I think it would make a really nice filling for a tart.
The only pain is the straining, but it is really worth the trouble.

Before you start I would recommend reading Val Harrisons advice on curd making

Its just a nice thing to have a bit of variation on the staple blackberry jam, which cant be beaten - but this comes close.
It is advised that you use unsalted butter, but I used a really good butter from a small Mayo based family company who make a really nice butter, far better than anything else I found in the supermarkets over the years.
Cuineog have deservedly won several awards for their traditional, great tasting product. It's great to see a small family business doing so well.
Once you have tried Cuinneog, I can tell you it's hard to back to the mass produced kerrygold types.
The flavour is rich, and if your going to the trouble of making this curd, just for the flavour, I'd recommend it fully.
The good news is that Cuinneog's distribution and availability is increasing all the time.

Ingredients:
1.0kg blackberries
350g peeled and cored apples*
150 ml water
110 g butter
Yolks of 2 fresh eggs
900g sugar
100 ml fresh lemon juice

I added 20g Ginger and two tsp lemon rind to give a little more zing to the original recipe that came from the wonderful John and Val Harrison at allotment.org.uk



Vals method is a little different to mine, but they both work.

(*I added 100gm of rhubarb in lieu of apple)

Method:
1.Put blackberries, apples and sugar in a large saucepan with the water. Bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the fruit is is soft and near setpoint.

2.Remove from the heat and push the fruit through a strainer into a medium-sized mixing bowl, pressing down on the fruit with a wooden spoon.

3.Put another heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water or bain maire and melt the butter.
Beat the eggs lightly and stir into the bowl with the lemon juice and pressed blackberry and apple.

4. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until mixture thickens, stir frequently.

5. Remove the bowl from the heat and pour the curd into clean, dry, warm, sterilized jars.

IMPORTANT TIP: Filling curd jars is different from jam, you leave as little headspace as possible because Curds shrink.




6. Seal and cover a per previous posting.

7. I Water bathed the jars for 10 minutes

8. Don't forget to cool them sitting on a cloth, this gives more even cooling.

Keep the jars in a cool, dry place. Curds will last about 3 months if kept in a refrigerator, 6 weeks in a cool, dark place but only about a week once they are opened.

I hope the waterbath may push out the shelf life to about 5 months

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