Lovely, Lovely Blueberry Curd + My First Giveaway {Closed}

I’ve got a couple of things to share with you.  First, I made this jar of  lovely, lovely blueberry curd.  It’s smooth, creamy, and totally bursting with blueberry flavor.  I’m officially in love.

Giveaway contents: An adorable cupcake zipper pouch, a super cute cupcake timer, two packages of cheerful cupcake liners, two packages of super cool cupcake stencils, and a groovy $10 iTunes gift card.

   Second, to celebrate my first Blogiversary, I have this cute collection of goodies that I’m giving away to one lucky reader.  I’ve spelled out all of the details for this giveaway at the end of this post.  Now, let’s talk blueberries, shall we?

I hope you’re lucky enough to have a Farmer’s Market in your town.  Really, I do.  As I puttered around the Kalamazoo Farmer’s Market last weekend, I found these charming little blueberries.  Almost instantly, I had visions of a white chocolate cake filled with blueberry curd.  Let’s nail down the curd recipe today, and I’ll share with you the cake recipe in my next post.  Deal?

     I suspect that the idea of making a fruit curd might be a little daunting for some folks.  Do not be afraid.  Combine 1 cup of blueberries, 3/4 tablespoon of water, and 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest in a saucepan.   Heat them on your stove top over low heat, stirring occasionally.

 After about 10-12 minutes, the berries will reduce down to a mixture of a thick liquid and fruit skin.  Place a sieve over a bowl.  Pour the mixture into the sieve.  The thick liquid will (mostly) run through the sieve.  Then, using a spoon, press the mixture through the sieve so that the berries’ skins remain in the sieve but most (if not all) of the thick liquid has strained into your bowl.

Pour the blueberry liquid back into the saucepan over medium heat.  Add  6 ounces (about 1 cup) of ultrafine granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, ¼ cup of butter  (½ stick),  and 3 eggs, lightly beaten.  Stir the mixture frequently, about 5-7 minutes, until it starts to thicken.  Be careful not to over-cook the eggs.  (Gross.)  Remove from heat.  As the curd cools down, it will thicken.  After it has cooled, it’s ready to eat.  Be sure to keep the curd stored in your fridge.

   This recipe makes enough blueberry curd to fill a two layer 8″ cake or a three layer 7″ cake. You’ll have some leftover, too.   Spread the extra curd onto just about anything—toast, English muffins, or biscuits.  I’ve got some scones baking in the oven right now.  I can’t wait to slather some of this blueberry curd all over one and take a big bite.

How to Enter Giveaway:  {Giveaway is now closed.} It’s easy peasy!  Just leave a comment that answers:  What’s your favorite fruit to use with cake?  (It doesn’t matter if you use the fruit in the cake batter, as a filling, or in the frosting.)

For Additional Entries:  Leave a separate comment for each additional entry.

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Giveaway is open from Friday, September 14 through Saturday, September 22, 2012 at 11:59 pm, EST.  For Official Rules, click HERE.  Good luck!