Blackberry and lemon curd

150g blackberries

grated zest of 2 lemons

50 ml lemon juice (I used 2 small lemons, but how much juice you get from a lemon can vary considerably which is why it is better to measure the quantity)

100g caster sugar

100g unsalted butter, cut into cubes

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

1. Puree the blackberries in a food processor. Pass through a sieve, into the glass bowl, pushing through with the back of a spatula or spoon, only leaving the pips behind. This should give you around 100ml of puree
2. Bring some water to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan.
3. Add the grated lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, butter and eggs to the puree, and place the bowl on top of the saucepan, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
4. Stir the curd, using a whisk, for about 8-10 minutes, until it has thickened and feels heavy against the sieve.
5. When thickened remove from the heat and transfer to sterilised jars*, cover with a wax dish, or a small piece of greaseproof paper, cut to size, and seal. This will keep for a couple of weeks in a cool place.

For a smoother curd, pass it through a sieve to remove the grated lemon zest. I like it both with and without, so this one is up to you!

 

*How to sterilise jars

When I sterilise jars, I wash them with soapy water, then rinse them with warm water, making sure they are perfectly clean. I then let them drip dry, upside down on a wire rack, before transferring them to an oven at 140C/275F/Gas 1, or the bottom Aga, for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile I have a saucepan with some simmering water, to which I add the lids so they sterilise too. Try to time this so that when you take them out, the mixture is ready to go into jars. Remove using oven gloves, always avoiding touching the inside of jars so as not to introduce any bacteria. Never pour hot liquid into cold jars as it may cause the glass to crack.