Strawberry Curd

This blog should have its own curd page by now: we’ve got lemon, lime, meyer lemon, raspberry, blueberry, orange and blackberry. A strawberry curd was begging to happen! 

Recipe Origins 

For this one, I started working off the template from this blueberry curd recipe of mine. I knew I wanted the strawberry flavor strong which meant I needed to cook the berries down a bit and get rid of some of their liquid so the curd wouldn’t be overly runny. 

Some people find it annoying when lemon is added to anything baked with berries but there’s a good reason for it: it sharpens the flavor of berries which are naturally tart, but when cooked lose some of that. The key I think is to balance how much lemon you’re adding without it overpowering the fruit – I think I’ve struck that balance here. Though as you’d expect, this is a sweeter curd, naturally so because it is strawberry based. 

Recipe Ingredients 

Strawberries: for this one, you don’t want the conventional off season or even frozen berries to make the curd. It’s best made with locally grown, in season strawberries. I also think you want strawberries that are leaning soft, not very firm. 

Lemon: just a bit of lemon juice, to bring back the natural tartness of the berries which gets muted from the addition of eggs and butter. 

Eggs: whole large eggs. It’s important to whisk them very, very well and break up those white bits best you can. We will sieve the curd after cooking it, to get rid of whatever egg bits are left. 

Salt: just a bit, it brings out the flavors. 

Starch: I prefer tapioca starch but you can also use cornstarch. This helps thicken the curd. 

Sugar: fine granulated sugar. You can reduce this a bit if you want it less sweet. 

Butter: unsalted and cold. 

How to Make Strawberry Curd 

Slice the strawberries in half and set in a pot. 

Add the lemon juice and set the pot over medium low heat. 

Cook until the berries soften, and it’s easy to press and smush them – about ten minutes. This step is necessary to evaporate some of the liquid in the berries and intensify the flavor. 

Puree the strawberries then press the puree through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Get as much juice as you can out of them; the total should be about 400g. 

Pour the sieved puree back into the pot (keep it off the heat for now) and add the sugar, starch, and pinch of salt. 

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together very well (use a fork to break up the white bits). Pour the eggs into the pot and whisk vigorously (you can also whisk the eggs straight into the pot, but be quick and vigorous about whisking them in!)

Set the pot over medium low heat. Stirring often, cook until the temperature registers 165 F (preferably 170 F) and the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. 

Pour the curd into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve (yes again! This time to remove those nasty egg bits) pressing to remove as much liquid as possible. 

Add the butter to the bowl (in chunks) and stir until the butter melts and you have a smooth curd. 

Let the curd cool fully then transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge. The curd’s flavor intensifies as it cools so it’s best to leave it overnight. 

Troubleshooting 

My curd is too runny. 

It likely wasn’t cooked long enough; eggs start to coagulate around 160F and that is when the curd thickens. Use a thermometer to check the temperature and know when to stop. 

Also if you cook it too long, the curd will be too thick and the eggs will ‘scramble’ so the curd won’t be smooth!

My curd doesn’t taste strongly of strawberries. 

This comes down to the berries used in the recipe: if your strawberries themselves don’t have a strong flavor, that won’t come through in the curd: especially given that other ingredients are muting it (the eggs especially). 

The best strawberries to make curd are locally grown, farm fresh berries that are about a week old and going soft. 

My curd tastes eggy! 

Don’t taste it while it’s warm! The fruit flavors intensify as the curd sets and chills. If it’s still eggy then see the above section on which strawberries to use. 

What Can I Do with Strawberry Curd? 

Basically anything you can do with lemon curd, you can do with strawberry curd. So for example: 

Make a strawberry meringue pie or strawberry meringue bars. 

Instead of pomegranate curd, make a strawberry pavlova (strawberries instead of or in addition to the pomegranate arils!). 

Spread some strawberry curd over a pie crust to make an extra (double!) strawberry galette, like I’ve done in this lemon curd strawberry galette. 

Over these mini chocolate pavlovas (with fresh berries). 

Use it to stuff into cookies, like these lime curd cookies.

Make strawberry curd bars, with this pistachio shortbread as a crust.  

Strawberry Curd Recipe

Strawberry Curd

Bright strawberry curd made with just a handful of ingredients and perfect for using on pavlovas, cakes, and in pies and tarts!

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Chill Time: 8 hours hrs

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Ingredients

• 500g fresh strawberries that are going a bit soft sliced in half (the best strawberries to use for this recipe are locally grown and in season. Using conventional, frozen or off season berries will result in a bland flavor)
• 30g or 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice for a more tart curd, add another two tablespoons for a total of 60g - bear in mind the curd will be slightly runnier.
• 100g or ½ cup fine granulated sugar can reduce to 65g or ⅓ cup for a slightly less sweet curd
• 4 large eggs
• Pinch fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons tapioca starch or cornstarch
• 70g or 5 tablespoons unsalted butter

Method

• Slice the strawberries in half and set them with the lemon juice in a pot over medium low heat. Cook as the strawberries soften and break down. Once you can easily press one with a wooden spoon and it smushes, take it off the heat - this can take up to 10 minutes. It’s also important for some of the water in the berries to evaporate.
• Pour the strawberry lemon mixture into a food processor and puree (or do this in the pot with an immersion blender). Into a bowl, press through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds and flesh. You should have around 400g ‘strawberry lemon juice’ at this point. Transfer it back into the pot and add the sugar, starch, salt and starch. Separately whisk the eggs very well to break up the white bits, add them to the pot with the rest of the ingredients and quickly whisk vigorously and very well.
• Set the pot back over medium low heat and cook, stirring often, until it coats the back of a spoon and registers 170F with an instant read thermometer. This can take around 10 minutes, depending on the material of your pot and the heat (slower is better).
• Once again, pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl - this time to remove any egg bits. Take your time squeezing as much of the strawberry mixture out. Add the butter in slices then stir until it has fully melted and you have a smooth curd.
• Let the curd come to room temperature then transfer it to a sealable airtight container. Chill overnight. The flavor is brighter and better after a sufficient chill. Store in the fridge, it’ll keep for up to 2 weeks.

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