Wandered over to the glorious Sheepcote Valley this afternoon with a (too small!) tub to pick some blackberries. After falling in a ditch, being swarmed by thunder flies and told off by George for not being entertaining enough we managed 2lbs of juicy berries which came straight home and into the pan. They're being turned into Blackberry Curd.
This is how................
Place 2lb of fruit into a large pan and just cover with water. Cook on a very low heat until the berries are more or less mushy (approx an hour) - by now quite a bit of the water will have evaporated. Allow to cool then push as much pulp through a sieve as you can - leaving behind seeds, stalks and whatever else came home with the berries! Set the pan of pulp aside.
You will also need -
Sterilised jars
450g granulated sugar
200g unsalted butter
6 medium free range eggs, well beaten and preferably sieved (bits of egg in your curd? No thanks!)
Place your blackberry pulp into a large pan and add the sugar. Dissolve completely over a low heat. Now add the butter and again, slowly, melt it into the mixture. Add the beaten egg and immediately start whisking - and keep stirring or whisking (it's very important to keep the mixture moving and the heat low - unless you want blackberry flavoured scrambled eggs!) until the mixture thickens enough to cover the back of a wooden spoon. Don't be alarmed - this does take longer than you think it will! Just look at it as a workout for your arm/s! My batch took about 25 minutes on a low heat - and all the while I was checking using the back of the spoon test as well as placing a small amount on a saucer to cool - when it looks spreadable and not runny you're getting there.
Remove from heat and start potting up - sealing each jar as you go. This will keep for up to 3weeks in the fridge, but should be consumed within a few days once opened.
Pretty labels and fabric jar covers turn these into wonderful gifts too.
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