Forest Fruits Curd

This easy Forest Fruit Curd recipe is a fabulous way to do something a little different with that bag of black forest fruits languishing in the freezer! The method for making this smooth treat is fool proof and the flavour is out of the world!

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Presenting the latest recipe in my “is there anything Chloe won’t make a curd out of?” series…forest fruits!

This wasn’t actually the next fruit on my list. I was trying to develop a cherry curd recipe but for some reason, the cherry flavour just wouldn’t come through in the way that I wanted it to. I might revisit this in the future but for now I decided that cherries needed friends.

By friends, I’m talking about blackcurrants, blackberries, blueberries and red grapes. This mix or variations of it have various names which I’ll discuss below.

What Are Forest Fruits?

In theory forest fruits are any fruit picked from a bush – usually various berries, many of which grow wild and can be foraged.

In culinary terms, the phrase is most often applied to a mix of the darker coloured berries – black cherries, blackcurrants, blackberries, blueberries, etc. Switch some of those fruits out for raspberries or strawberries and the term “summer fruits” is generally used instead.

You can make up the mix yourself from fresh, frozen or canned fruits. Or just buy a ready made mix – they’re pretty common.

The mix is sold under various different names such as Black Forest Fruit Mix, Forest Fruit Mix, Black Forest Fruits and Berries and Cherries. The mix of fruit can vary – not many of them seem to include blueberries. You can always add to a mix you buy if you have a preference for a particular berry.

How to Serve Forest Fruit Curd

Fruit curds are super versatile – there are many uses from simply being spread on toast or crumpets, used in place of jam on scones or served with pancakes or waffles.

I used my latest batch of forest fruit curd to fill Small Pastry Cases with the curd to make individual sized Forest Fruit Curd Tarts. With a little whipped cream and some extra berries on top, this is a really easy dessert. You can always make it super simple and buy ready made tart cases!

As for the logistical details, I always advise to serve curds at room temperature. They must be stored in the fridge but the cold can dull the flavour. So it is a good idea to take it out 20 minutes or so before you plan on eating it.

Ingredients for Black Forest Fruit Curd

Forest Fruits

As I’ve mentioned above, there are various ways that you can buy or make your fruit mix. I think the most common way is to buy it ready mixed and frozen. That’s certainly my go-to.

But if you want to use a fresh mix or mix your own fresh fruits that great too. You can even mix and match any frozen, canned or fresh fruits. Just throw them in the pan together and heat until they’re all warmed through and starting release their juices.

Butter

I always use salted butter in my cooking. There is almost nothing that doesn’t benefit from a little salt and curds are no exception. If you insist on using unsalted, you will need to add a little salt to the fruit at the beginning of the recipe.

You do need to use proper butter, not margarine or anything spreadable. Using a butter that doesn’t set hard will affect the overall thickness and set of the finished curd.

Sugar

I only use white sugars in my curd recipes. Brown sugars can be too strong and overwhelm the fruit flavour. It doesn’t matter if you use regular/granulated or caster/superfine sugar. Icing/powdered sugar should be avoided as the measurements will be off due to the weight difference.

Eggs

I use large UK eggs in this recipe. I would not advise using XL eggs as the curd could set too much and be unpleasant to eat. You also don’t want it to end up tasting eggy.

You can switch in medium sized UK eggs if you prefer and don’t mind a less set curd.

Make it Allergy Friendly

This recipe is free from gluten and nuts.

Dairy Free Forest Fruit Curd: This is easy – you simply need to switch the butter for a dairy-free hard block alternative.

Egg Free Forest Fruit Curd: This is not easy. I’m sorry to say that this recipe is not suitable for adaptation to egg free (and therefore vegan). I would suggest looking for a dedicated vegan curd recipe.

Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.

Black Forest Curd Tips

You don’t need to cook the berries for this recipe. But warming them from frozen or heating up fresh berries will start the release of juices and make the blending of the berries easier.

Once you add the eggs, crack on with the blending sharpish. I’ve never found that the eggs are terribly stressed about joining the warm butter and sugar. But I wouldn’t chance it for too long.

Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?

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The Recipe

Forest Fruits Curd Recipe

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This easy Forest Fruit Curd recipe is a fabulous way to do something a little different with that bag of black forest fruits languishing in the freezer! The method for making this smooth treat is fool proof and the flavour is out of the world!

5 from 7 votes

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KEEP SCREEN ON

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Servings 375 ml (approx)

Author Chloe

Equipment

• Measuring Scales
• Saucepan – Medium
• Silicone Spatula
• Measuring Jug – Large
• Stick Blender
• Sieve
• Jam Jars

Ingredients

 

MetricUSA Measurements

 

0.5x1x2x4x

• 250 g Forest Fruits Mix - Fresh or Frozen
• 80 g Salted Butter
• 90 g Sugar
• 2 Eggs

Instructions

 

• Tip 250g Forest Fruits Mix into a medium saucepan.
  
• Cook the fruit over a medium heat until the fruit is no longer frozen – around 2-3 minutes.
• Add 80g Salted Butter and 90g Sugar to the fruit.
  
• Continue to stir over the heat until the sugar and butter have melted – around 1 to 2 minutes.
• Pour the mixture into a large jug or blender jug ready to puree.
  
• Use a stick blender or regular blender to puree the fruit mixture until it is as smooth as possible.
  
• Add 2 Eggs and blend again until everything is incorporated.
  
• Strain the mixture back into the saucepan. This will remove the remaining pips etc.
  
• Stir the mix over the heat until it has thickened. You can raise the heat a little at the beginning to get the heat up. And you can continue to adjust the heat so that the mixture is no hotter than a very light simmer. If you are underconfident, keep the heat low – it will just take longer to thicken. Keep stirring and make sure to keep scraping along the bottom of the pan. Do not walk away or take your eyes of the pan.
• The curd is ready once it coats the back of a spoon or spatula. This should take no more than 8 to 10 minutes. You will know it is ready when it stops getting any thicker.
  
• Take the curd off the heat and pour into jars or storage containers.
  

Notes

If for some annoying reason your curd decides to break.split during the thickening process, you can simply blend it again before storing and it will come back together as a smooth curd. 

Nutrition (Approx)

Serving: 1tbsp | Calories: 47kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 26mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 227IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

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