What does one do with 20 pounds of brilliantly purple, sweet blueberries picked only a few short days before leaving town…make Blueberry Lemon Curd, of course!

We were lucky enough to pick blueberries on the land of a grandfather of a dear friend. The kids ate so many their faces were stained purple. (I didn’t realize faces could stain, but if blueberry juice is not wiped off for several hours, purple dot tattoos remain on chins and cheeks and noses!)

I froze most of the berries for a burst of summer this winter. (To freeze, just spread washed and blotted-dry berries on a sheet pan and freeze for about 20 minutes; then place in a zip-top freezer bag or air-tight jar and freeze solid.)

With the remaining berries, I wanted to make a batch of blueberry jam – but I didn’t have the time. So when I saw this Blackberry Curd Tart recipe in Cooking Light magazine, I knew blueberry curd was the perfect solution! I used blueberries instead of blackberries – and blender-whizzed them into a puree so fine there was no need to strain it! The result was delicious intense blueberry flavor from only 3 cups of blueberries, a bit of sugar and enough lemon juice to make this spread still qualify as a tangy curd. The addition of the egg yolks yielded a lovely, rich consistency.

We’ve already enjoyed the Blueberry Lemon Curd on muffins and mixed into plain yogurt.

Blueberry Lemon Curd

A summer fruit twist to the traditional curd: Blueberry Lemon Curd.

• Author: by Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD
• Yield: About 20 ounces, or 2 1/2 cups 1x

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

1. Combine berries, sugar and juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes. Place mixture in a blender; let stand 5 minutes. Puree until smooth.
2. Return mixture to pan. Combine cornstarch and egg yolks, stirring until smooth. Stir yolk mixture into berry mixture; bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in salt and butter. Scrape mixture into jelly jars, cover and refrigerate.