Recipe: Raspberry Lemon Curd — The Gift of Food |Cooking With Amanda

Great gift-giving is an art form — finding a present that is the perfect balance of thoughtful, practical, intimate, and memorable. Sometimes this process can be a bit overwhelming. However, if you love to DIY, then the idea of a homemade gift can make things a whole lot easier.

I tend to follow the edible gift route, as I find that making treats is a sensible, personal — and not to mention delicious — way to spoil loved ones. With Mother's Day just around the corner, this raspberry lemon curd is an easy way to both capture the essence of spring and show Mom how much you care.

Make It! A Lemon Curd for Springtime

The vibrant flavors of juicy, sun-ripened raspberries and tart lemon blend together in this silky citrus curd. The fresh berries add some sweetness and turn a basic recipe of lemon curd the most beautiful shade of pink. With only a handful of ingredients and minimal cook time, curd is simple to make but yields impressive results. Make a batch, or two, and share a jar of sunshine with your loved ones.

Gift It! Raspberry Curd + Tea Cookies

To turn this recipe from something casually chilling in your refrigerator into the stunning gift it is destined to be, consider how it is packaged and presented.

Try spooning the curd into a glass jar, then tying it up with a nice ribbon or baker's twine. Your lucky recipient can use it right away or easily store it for later without having to transfer the curd to a new container. Include a handwritten tag to add a personal touch or print off a label to adhere to the jar itself.

To complete the gift, I've added some cookies to be enjoyed with the curd. The Raspberry Lemon Curd pairs wonderfully with this recipe for Cardamom Vanilla Shortbread. Bake off a fresh batch, gift the roll of raw cookie dough for a slice-and-bake treat, or even tuck the recipe in with the package — however you choose to gift it, you're sure to make someone smile.

Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 1/4 cups fresh raspberries
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

Place the raspberries in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring intermittently, until the berries begin the break down and release their juices, 5 to 8 minutes). Remove from heat and strain through a mesh sieve into a bowl or measuring cup to remove the seeds. Discards the seeds and solids.

Return 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of raspberry juice back to the saucepan along with the lemon juice, yolks, egg, and sugar. Whisk until combined. Place the diced butter in a medium heat-safe mixing bowl and set near the stove.

Stirring gently, heat the curd mixture over medium heat until it begins to thicken, 8 to 10 minutes. The mixture should coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat a strain over the diced butter. Whisk until butter melts and is combined.

Press a piece of plastic wrap directly to the surface of the curd and refrigerate until cool and set, 1 to 3 hours. Spoon into individual jars for gifting. This curd should be kept refrigerated and will keep for about a week.

Recipe Notes

Be sure to whisk all of the ingredients well together before heating so the egg does not scramble.
Strain the curd after heating just in case any egg bits cooked independently.

(Image credits: Tessa Huff)