How to Make Fruit Curd - Celebration Generation (2024)

Lemon curd is always great, but why stop there? This posts features 12 different fruit curd recipes (and some really amazing photography!)

I’ve mentioned before about how sometimes, we’ll get very “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” in this house.

Just the seed of an idea will sprout, and it just snowballs from there.

“We should do X”

“Well, if we do X, we should also do Y”

“Well doing Y means we should also Z...”

I’ve also mentioned that I have a tendency to problem solve in my dreams, then wake up with basically a to-do list for a post, or book.

About a year ago, that kind of thing resulted in my Cardamom Fig Pavlova ... along with 4 other pavlovas, in a very short amount of time.

That was when I woke up with 5 fully conceptualized pavlova recipes one time.

Today’s post - well, collection of posts - is the result of both of these things.

As a bit of a warning, it’s going to be ridiculously photo heavy before getting to those recipes.

My husband just took too many visually satisfying photos, I narrowed them down as much as I could, but really... you guys need to see them!

Be sure to scroll all the way to the end of the post for the “extra” photos.

There were too many to reasonably use in this post, but they’re so PRETTY.

A Rainbow of Fruit Curds!

In the dream I had earlier this year, I saw a rainbow of fruit curds.

I can’t remember how many were actually in the dream, but I saw jars arranged, myriad tarts, and artsy streaks of curd on a plate.

It was all so pretty!

When I was a little kid, I was one of those “line everything up in a specific order” autistics.

More often than not, that “specific order” was rainbow.

Even when working with 4 colours of Lego, everything had to be in a close approximation of ROYGBIV - so red, yellow, green, blue.

My younger sister took issue with this, and would frequently go red, yellow, blue, green just to annoy me, but clearly she was *wrong*.

Anyway.

This dream obviously appealed to my long-held, “all rainbows, all the time” aesthetic.

The Problem With Fruit Curds

I woke up with a list of potential fruit curds in my head, convinced I’d really be getting weird with things.

Could “Kiwi curd” really be a thing?

A quick google showed me that - unfortunately - yeah, Kiwi curd had been done before. Bah!

Taking a peek to see if they were doing it the way I would, I wasn’t surprised to see that (at least in the couple I looked at), the main issue with non-lemon curds wasn’t really addressed the way I would.

The thing is, lemon curd is the most popular because - barring an additional ingredient - it just works the best.

The acid level of the lemon is perfect for the application. It reacts with the egg and sugar to perfectly thicken the curd.

Proportions matter, and the acid in the lemon works great for balance:

- You don’t need to add so much egg that you drown out the lemon
- You don’t need so much lemon as to make it unpleasant to eat.

When it comes to non-lemon fruit curds, you run into the issue of there not being enough acid to make it set up right.

So, non-lemon fruit curds generally end up runny.

Some people will supplement their choice of fruit with some lemon juice, which helps a bit.

The lemon juice is diluted, so it still doesn’t set up as well as straight lemon juice. Also, the intended fruit flavour is altered with the lemon juice.

When I want a kiwi curd, I want it to taste like kiwi... not lemon!

The Fruit Curd Solution

So how do you up the acid level, without adulterating the flavour of the fruit you want to curd?

Citric Acid!

While citric acid will add tartness - without messing with the amount/proportion of liquid - it doesn’t add the distinct lemon taste that lemon juice does.

Also, adding that bit of tartness - brightness - actually works really nicely with the fruit curds.

We initially started buying citric acid for use with our Homebrewed Ciders and Wines (along with Acid Blend), but over the years, we've been using it a lot more in our kitchen.

You can find it used in such things like my replica Beep Drink, as part of the fun rim on my Fuzzy Peach Candy co*cktail, and as part of my Wine Slush Mix - always a favourite for gifting!

Citric acid is the “secret” ingredient to providing enough acid for the curd to set up, without diluting the flavour of the curd.

Developing Fruit Curd Recipes

With all that in mind, I set about developing all the extra fruit curd recipes - beyond the ones I’d already been making - went shopping, and got to work!

When choosing what recipes I’d make, it was a balance of:

“What will taste great?”
“What fruits are currently accessible?”

Last - but definitely NOT least - was the matter of appearance.

Which fruits would contribute to a balanced rainbow spread?

I nixed Banana curd as a possibility, because even if it worked... it wouldn’t be a pretty part of my rainbow.

I remember nixing one or two because that section of the rainbow - orange/yellow - was already getting over-represented.

It’s my rainbow, I can be shallow and “all about the aesthetic” if I wanna! 🙂

I divided my list out by techniques.

The citrus ones would all be handled the same way - zested, juiced, etc.

The blueberries and raspberries would be pureed and strained.

The cranberries and blackcurrants would be cooked a bit, then strained.

The kiwi and passion fruit would be pureed a bit, and not strained.

The mango and grape would be made from canned puree and juice, respectfully, and didn’t need any additional handling.

.... and here we are!

My computer workspace. Seriously, how satisfying are these folders?

Fruit Curd Uses

While I don’t expect anyone to go ahead and make all 12 of these curds in one go (though it IS totally doable!), making one or a few make for a really nice addition to any brunch.

I think having even a small rainbow of these curds with a pile of fresh biscuits or scones would be really nice for a bridal or baby shower, or a celebratory brunch. A fruit curd breakfast bar!

Someone make this happen, and send me pics! 🙂

Some More Ideas for Serving Fruit Curds:

- On the breakfast table. Spread it on toast, Biscuits, scones, etc. Spoon it over waffles or pancakes (especially good when topped with berries!)

- As a filling for baked goods. Fill Macarons, Cream Puffs or Profiteroles, pre-baked tart shells, or layered cakes* with fruit curd.

- Fruit curd is also a great option for Butterfly Cupcakes, either instead of or in addition to frosting. When “in addition to”, I’ll spoon some curd in the cavity, then pipe frosting over it.

- Use as a topping for Pavlova. I like to do the layer of whipped cream, then the curd, and finally the fruit topping. You can even mix some into the whipped cream to flavour it. Alternately, it’s great as an offering on a Pavlova Dessert Board.

- Spoon it over ice cream, Cheesecake, or crepes.

- We like to drizzle it over yogurt that’s been topped with my Porter’s Yogurt and Ice Cream Topping.

- You can also make layered parfaits with curd and yogurt, or curd and cottage cheese.

* When filling layered cakes with curd, it’s best to pipe a ring of frosting around the outer perimeter of the layer being filled, then fill the inside of that border with the curd.

This gives some stability to the filling layer, and will prevent the curd from oozing out.