Curd

[Marian]

What exactly is this and can it be used alone or does it need to be in a recipe? My brother sent us a package of 12 different preserves, curds and "butters". Last night I made the Carmelized Onion Chicken, when I looked in the box, which I thought had raspberry preserves, it was in fact, raspberry CURD! I used it anyway and the chicken was really delicious.
The box also contains Pumpkin Butter, as well as Apple Butter, and a few other kinds of curds.
Any ideas for me?

[buddie]

i don't have the answers to curds but for the butters i do...

i love pumpkin and apple butter spread on toast!!! YUMMY that is all i have ever done with flavored butters

[laughsandlaughs]

Curd:
A creamy mixture made from juice (usually lemon, lime or orange), sugar, butter and egg yolks. The ingredients are cooked together until the mixture becomes quite thick. When cool, the lemon (or lime or orange) curd becomes thick enough to spread and is used as a topping for breads and other baked goods. Various flavors of curd are available commercially in gourmet markets and some supermarkets.

Because it's made with butter and eggs it is much higher in fat than regular preserves or jelly (which is fat free) and is more rich.

It makes great filling in cakes, etc.

The butters will be great used the same way you would jelly, on breads, sandwiches, etc. I love pumpkin and apple butter and used some of my pumpkin butter in the pumpkin rolls recipe from a few months back (I put a layer on the dough before adding the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

[Linda in MO]

I love lemon curd! I make it homemade though. It does not need to be used in a recipe, although there are some CL recipes that use it. I like it on a toasted bagel, toast, scones, etc. I've even eaten it on a ritz cracker. :p
Here's a yummy CL recipe...

* Exported from MasterCook *

Lemon-Cream Cheese Cookie Cups

Recipe By :Cooking Light YEAR: April 1999 PAGE: 169
Serving Size : 24 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cookies/Brownies , Dessert,
Low-Fat

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Dough:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine -- softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind (I used more, about 1 T.)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 large egg
1 block light cream cheese (8 oz.), softened
Topping:
1/4 cup commercial fat-free lemon curd (I used
homemade lemon curd)
1/4 cup sliced almonds (or fresh berries)

1. To prepare dough, beat 1/2 cup sugar and butter at medium speed of a mixer
until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Lightly spoon flour
into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour, baking powder, and
salt to sugar mixture; beat at low speed until well-blended. Wrap dough in
plastic wrap; freeze 15 minutes. Gently press dough into bottom and up sides
of 24 miniature muffin cups coated with cooking spray.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. To prepare filling, place 1/2 cup sugar and the next 4 ingredients (1/2 cup
sugar through cream cheese) in a food processor; process until smooth,
scraping sides of processor bowl occasionally. Spoon 1 tablespoon filling into
each prepared muffin cup. Bake at 350 degrees for 23 minutes or until edges
are brown and filling is set. Remove cups from pans immediately (I let them cool a bit before removing); cool on a wire rack.

4. To prepare topping, spoon 1/2 teaspoon lemon curd onto each cookie cup.
Sprinkle with almonds.

Yield: 24 servings (Serving size: 1 cookie cup).


NOTES : I used more lemon curd and didn't use almonds, but topped them with fresh blueberries.

[funnybone]

Or were you talking about curds as in "curds and whey"??