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“This may just have been the best new thing I’ve tried in a very long time. Fantastic flavor, what a treat.” ~Gary
Curds have an outrageously satiny mouthfeel like no other food on the planet.
Curds are in a category all to themselves when it comes to the world of preserving fruits. Yes you can make jams, jellies, and butters ~ but when you really want to treat yourself to something special, make curd. This rhubarb curd is the best way I know of to celebrate rhubarb season ~ it captures the unique flavor of rhubarb along with a velvety texture like nothing else!
did you know?
Fruit curds are a centuries old treat that goes back to traditional tea time in Britain. Usually made with lemon or citrus fruits, curds can be made with any almost any fruit, even cranberries!
I don’t like to use food coloring very often, I prefer to let the natural colors of food shine, but there are exceptions. The color of rhubarb curd often needs a little boost. When the eggs are blended with the fruit the color sometimes goes a bit beige due to basic color mixing principles. A drop or two of food coloring brightens it back up. You can use regular or gel food coloring, or if you want to go more natural, use some dehydrated strawberry or raspberry powder.
How to make all natural red and pink food coloring
- you’ll need freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries. Look for them in natural food stores, Trader Joe’s, or online.
- you’ll also need a coffee or spice grinder. Be sure your grinder is clean and free of other flavors. Grinding uncooked rice will clean and freshen your machine.
- Grind the dehydrated berries until they become a fine powder.
- Use as much as needed to get your desired color.
more rhubarb recipes!
I got caught up in rhubarb mania this season here at tvfgi, so there’s lots more inspiration for your rhubarb haul, whether you have a backyard patch, or source it from your local supermarket…
- Rhubarb Vanilla Bean Jelly
- Norwegian Rhubarb and Almond Cake
- Rhubarb Scones
- Rhubarb Shortcake
- Rhubarb Shortbread Crumble Tart
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie
rhubarb curd variations
- Mix an equal amount strawberries with your rhubarb. You can also add other fruit like raspberries.
- Add some grated fresh ginger into the rhubarb curd for a spicy and aromatic twist.
- Add a citrusy touch to your rhubarb curd by incorporating orange zest and juice.
- Sprinkle in some ground cardamom during the cooking process or blend it in while preparing the curd.
- Infuse the curd with aromatic vanilla by adding vanilla extract or scraping the seeds from a vanilla bean into the mixture.
Rhubarb Curd
Ingredients
- 13 ounces fresh trimmed rhubarb, cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- juice of 1 lemon
- 4 large eggs, well whisked
- 2 Tbsp room temperature unsalted butter
- 1 or 2 drops pink food coloring
Instructions
- Put the rhubarb and water in a high speed blender like a Vitamix, or a food processor and process until very smooth.
- Press the puree through a fine mesh sieve so the rhubarb juice comes through, leaving the solids. Use the back of a spoon to as much through as you can. You’ll need 1 cup of juice.
- Put the juice into a saucepan and stir in the sugar and lemon juice. Add the whisked eggs and whisk everything together well.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring or whisking constantly, over medium to medium high heat. You can add a few drops of food coloring at this point if you need it.
- Once the mixture comes to a boil it should be slightly thickened and should coat the back of a spoon (it will thicken more as it chills.) Remove from the heat and add the butter, a bit at a time, whisking in to melt each piece before adding the next.
- Pour the curd through a mesh strainer to remove any bits of cook egg, then fill your jars. Let cool to room temperature before covering and refrigerating overnight.
- Use the curd within 2 weeks.
Nutrition
Followed directions exactly. Mine would not set up. I put 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 Tablespoon cornstarch into pan, mixed well. Then I added the unset curd back into pan and slowly heated it again. It began to thicken almost immediately. I then placed it into the jars, let cool and it was the perfect consistency. Love the flavor! Thanks for a new terrific way to use rhubarb.
Oh I’m glad you could save it Karen, so happy you love it!
Is it just me, or does the recipe card REALLY say it yields 32 cups!
Would someone please be kind enough to give me a more accurate idea of yield? Thank you!
That’s 2 cups, 32 servings at 1 Tbsp per serving!
Wondering if cooking the rhubarb down first would pull flavor and color and be easier to blend up to extract the juice?
I’m all for experimenting, so sure, give that a try!
I haven’t made it yet, but wondering if this can be canned like jelly.
It’s not recommended to can fruit curds Tammy, they require commercial canning to be safe. You can freeze this if you like.
Could I use frozen rhubarb (thawed) to make this in the winter?
I also would love to hear from anyone regarding their attempt, success, failure at this. I have two rhubarb plants and quite a bit of frozen rhubarb in my freezer. I am also interested in making the rhubarb butter from Sue’s recipe using frozen rhubarb.
I just tried your rhubarb curd recipe this evening, and am waiting for the jar contents to “set”. Love the flavor. I scaled the recipe to use 1.5x amounts, to use up the stalks I picked this morning. Only hiccup (barring whether the thickening works!) was that I used gel food coloring, and it did not mix perfectly, causing flecks in the product. Also looking forward to trying the rhubarb jelly recipe, but have to wait for additional harvests.