Silky, sweet curd with vibrant tastes of blueberry and clementine. Spread on a scone, muffin, or toast, or use to fill a vanilla cake or as a fun addition to a fruit cream pie!

The story

Necessity is the mother of invention, right? Well, today I invented two new-for-me desserts because I need to use up the cuties we’ve had for a while. I also decided to use this time in quarantine to use up some of the frozen fruit I always buy in case I feel like being healthy and having a smoothie for a snack. Take a guess how much frozen fruit I have from all this idealistic buying? A lot.

Like, we’re the ones who literally cannot hoard food because there’s nowhere to store it.

So I’m on a mission to use up as much of our freezer food as I can. I made avgolemono soup this week from the leftover turkey we froze. And meatloaf from the three pounds of bison we bought who knows when. I also made a batch of smoothies for my toddler that I put in ice cube trays to store in the…freezer. But she’ll go through them quickly! I hope.

By the way, anyone else notice this quarantine is messing with the way they view everything? I was reading a book today and the main character was cramped in her kitchen as all her friends grabbed food. My first thought was, “Thats too close! 6 feet apart! And why do you have all your friends over at your house???” Oh yeah. It’s fiction. Written long before COVID-19. I had a similar moment as I watched TV last night. “How did they film this? They’re standing so close together!” 🤦‍♀️

I’ve been sharing a bit on Instagram about how I’m staying sane (or attempting to, at least). Just like the situation, my mentality changes daily, even hourly. I am so thankful for friends and family who keep me grounded and demonstrate what it looks like to “hand out grace like candy.” If you’re in the same boat as me, I hope my story encourages you—you’re not alone—and if you need something to do to ease the boredom/stress/panic: baking could be the answer.

Tips for this recipe

Cornstarch is optional, depending on your use

Cornstarch isn’t necessary, but it will be slightly looser than jam if you don’t use it. I couldn’t find any at any store I visited, so I went without and it was still delicious. It just made it difficult to layer into a pretty trifle. So, if that’s your goal or you’re using it as a spread on a cake or surprise base layer in a pie, use cornstarch. A cake will slide right off a loose filling and it’ll be difficult to maintain separate layers if you spread a filling on top in a pie or tart. Alternatively, you could drizzle it on top!

Whisk cornstarch into clementine juice

I don’t always do this, but it’s best practice. Whisk the cornstarch and an equal amount of juice (so 1/4 cup and 1/4 cup) in a small bowl. Then add to the saucepan with everything else.

Mandarin oranges or any small, sweeter oranges work fine

Confession: I used mandarins. The Cuties brand harvests clementines in the fall and mandarins in the winter/spring. But there’s very little noticeable difference between the two. Plus, blueberry clementine curd just sounds prettier than mandarin curd. Or maybe it’s just me?

Don’t burn the mixture!

Keep it at medium-low, and stir with a rubber spatula, scraping sides, corners, and bottom of pan to ensure nothing burns. And don’t cook longer than 10 minutes. I only did about 5 using frozen berries (they were the small kind). You risk a burnt taste in your curd if you cook too high or too long.

Sub blackberries or raspberries for a more tart curd

As much as I liked this curd, it was fairly rich abc fairly sweet. I’m used to tart lemon curd. I think in the future I’ll try blackberries or raspberries, which I’ve done plenty of times with lemon to get a very bright, tart curd. I think the tart fruit and sweet clementines would complement each other well!

Sub a little lemon juice for a more tart curd

Another option for a tart curd is using lemon juice in place of some of the clementine juice. Replacing about 1/4 of the juice with lemon juice should be sufficient, as much more will drown the clementine flavor.

It’s thickened when you can “part the seas”

If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, you will know it’s thickened properly when it’s the texture of pudding or when you stir and you start to see little pathways left behind by your spatula. Think, Moses parting the Red Sea. But only for a few seconds. You can see the bottom of the pan then the curd fills the space back in. It will thicken slightly as it cools.

Blueberry Clementine Curd

cook/prep time: 30 minutes

cool time: 1-2 hours

total time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Yields: about 1.5 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

½ to ¾ cup juice from clementine or mandarin oranges (i.e. Cuties)

2 pinches salt, or ⅛ teaspoon if using unsalted butter

¼ cup sugar (can use up to ½ cup, but the fruit is already sweet)

2 eggs and 2 egg yolks, whisked until frothy

2 tablespoons butter, cut into a few pieces

optional: ¼ cup cornstarch (see note, creates a thick, jelly style curd)

Instructions:

Place blueberries, juice, salt, sugar, and cornstarch (if using) in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until the blueberries break down, about 5-10 minutes (closer to 10 if using cornstarch to cook it fully). Stir frequently with a rubber spatula, pressing on the blueberries to help middle them as they cook. See note about cooking to prevent a burnt taste.

Strain mixture into a small bowl using a fine mesh sieve. Use spatula to press the berries to get all the juice out. You should have about 1 cup or so of juice. Let cool about 10-15 minutes. You can put it in the fridge to speed this up.

Once completely cooled to room temperature, whisk into eggs (or add eggs to juice, depending on bowl sizes). Whisk until fully combined, ensuring you see no dark streaks indicating the egg white hasn’t fully blended.

Pour entire mixture back into the saucepan (wipe out down edges if there is any dried streaks of juice). Cook on medium-low heat until it reaches 170 degrees with a candy thermometer or it has thickened to the texture of pudding (see note).

Remove from heat and add butter, stirring until smooth. Pour into a clean bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directing onto the surface of the curd. Refrigerate until cooled and slightly thickened, about 1-2 hours. Stir before using or transfer to an airtight container. It will last about 2 weeks in the fridge.

Enjoy!