Pomegranate Curd
Pomegranate curd makes a great homemade gift for the holidays! Whip up a big batch of this tart, seasonal, and beautiful topping.
It’s almost Thanksgivukkah! Do you guys know about Thanksgivukkah? Well, this year Hanukkah is coming suuuuuper early. The Jewish holidays follow the Hebrew calendar, not the Roman calendar that most of the world goes by, and so those holidays land on different dates every year. Usually, Hanukkah happens sometime in December, sometimes it even overlaps with Christmas, but this year, it comes in November! Or, more precisely, the night before Thanksgiving.
I’ll be traveling to upstate NY on a train this coming Tuesday. I’m so looking forward to it, for so many reasons. A) I’m not hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year, so I don’t need to run around like a maniac shopping, cleaning and decorating my house, lugging out all my serving pieces, setting the table, and then breaking all of it down and cleaning it all immediately thereafter. B) And you may have noticed I did not mention anything about cooking- that is because the cooking is actually my favorite part, and even though I’m not hosting, I’m still lucky enough to get to cook this year. My brother- and sister-in-law are hosting their first Thanksgiving feast, but since they have a brand new baby, and since they are not that experienced in the kitchen, I’ll be there to lend a hand 😉 C) I’m going to be riding that train sans-children. Several hours of quiet relaxation time while meandering along through the utterly breathtakingly beautiful Hudson River Valley. I can’t wait.
So BIL and I have been back and forth a little bit about the menu, and he mentioned a few significant Jewish foods that he’d like to incorporate into his Thanksgiving meal. There will be latkes instead of mashed potatoes, and he’s got some tasty ideas about pomegranate too.
The pomegranate is steeped in historical significance all over the world, and in almost every religion, but most certainly in Judaism. Since I am not myself Jewish, and did not grow up attending Hebrew school, I could not possibly do justice to this topic, but you can read lots more about that here.
In honor of my dear family and their rich heritage, I would like to share this recipe I worked out for pomegranate curd.
I am not without my share of recipe fails, and this idea resulted in a few. It seemed simple enough at initially, just find a good lemon curd recipe and sub out the lemon for pomegranate juice, right? Wrong. All those bright yellow egg yolks and butter combined with the deep ruby Pom and yielded a seriously off-putting grayish slime that was cloyingly sweet. Back to the drawing board!
To get the pretty rosy hue you see here, the eggs and butter need to be decreased, along with the sugar, and a little bit of cornstarch is needed to thicken up the curd.
I noticed a little bit of “lump-age” happening at the point where the curd starts thickening up on the stove, so I whipped out my stick blender and gave it a buzz. It worked really well to smooth everything out in a matter of seconds! If you don’t have a stick blender, another option would be to pass the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, using the back of a ladle to push/swirl it through and catch any lumps.
I’m going to be using this pomegranate curd in an upcoming recipe post, so it’s just going to hang out for a few days in my fridge for the time being. But, if you want to give jars of this as a holiday gift, you may want to process the jars so they can be sealed airtight and kept in a cupboard for a more extended period of time. Boil the jars to sterilize them, simmer the lids to soften the gummy seal, fill, and then submerge in boiling water for 10 minutes. There are lots of articles on safe canning procedures all over the internet, and you can read all about my first attempt with it here.
This curd has a luxuriously thick texture and a tart, fruity flavor with a subtly buttery backnote. It’s such a treat just spooned over toast or a biscuit for breakfast, or you can use it as a filling in all sorts of yummy desserts. Dolled up with a cute cupcake paper over the lid, a fancy ribbon, and a pretty tag, it makes a thoughtful holiday gift.
But stay tuned ’til next week, when I’ll be sharing a fabulous dessert for your winter table!
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Pomegranate Curd
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (32 g) cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 egg yolks, (large)
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups (473.18 ml) unsweetened pomegranate juice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Whisk the first five ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth.
- Place the pomegranate juice in a pot and bring to a bare simmer, over medium-low heat.
- Pour about a quarter cup of the hot pomegranate juice into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to combine.
- Add more hot liquid, a little at a time, whisking, until the egg mixture is very warm to the touch.
- Pour the tempered egg mixture into the pot with the remaining hot liquid, whisking constantly.
- Cook gently, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. If lumps occur, they can be worked out with a stick blender or strained out with a fine mesh strainer (see head notes).
- Whisk in the cold butter, and transfer the mixture to a heat safe vessel to cool.
I was searching for this recipe and so glad I found it! Do tell please, would this be thick enough to put as a filling between a layer cake? Or would it slide…thanks!
Hello, it’s my first time ever to see a sweet dish made with Pomegranate. Do we need to use the natural pomegranate juice or the one you buy from the supermarket? also why can’t we use sweetend juice?
Thanks for the delicious recipes!!
You’re welcome, Hala! It’s my pleasure, for sure 😉 I buy my pomegranate juice from the supermarket. The brand is called “Pom,” and they sell it in the produce section, not the juice aisle. It’s unsweetened. I would steer clear of a sweetened pomegranate juice for this recipe, because with the added sugar it would be far too sweet. Thanks so much for reading, Hala, and for the great question!
I sort of want to drink this with a straw, but I will restrain myself. I hope your Thanksgivikkah was wonderful!
What a fabulous and gorgeous idea! You are so funny! I love it!
Thanks Liz! I’m so happy you liked the idea, and glad I could give you a laugh! Hope you’re enjoying your week 😉
Wowie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This pomegranate curd is so so sooooo creative!!!!!! :)Your Tuesday plans seem reallly fun! 🙂 Loveeeee the props and the babyish pink colour of the curd!!!! Yum Yum YUM!!!!!!!! 🙂
Thanks Samina! I’m so glad you like the pomegranate curd. The color is nice, right? And it tastes really tart and buttery… YUM! I’ll be making a tart out of it in the next day or so. Hope you’re having a fun week, dear!
Can you suggest some ways to use this in baking or so…or it can be consumed as it is(say yes 😉)
I never thought that pomegranate could be transformed into curd!! What a lovely way to use them!! It surely looks amazing… Beautiful post Allie!!
xox Amy
Thanks, Amy! I had a rough start but it eventually came together in the end. I was happy with the result! Tart and buttery, and PINK! Yay!
I never thought of this before but it looks delicious!
It’s pretty tasty! The pomegranate juice is tart, a lot like lemon but a bit sweeter. And so seasonal! My family really liked it and we’ll be enjoying it again on Thanksgiving. Thanks so much for reading, Liz! 😉
I love your Christmassy photo accessories, very festive 🙂 . The curd looks delicious!
I just can’t help myself! I’m so in the Christmas spirit, even though it’s not even quite Thanksgiving yet! Thanks for the sweet comment, Laura! xoxo
This recipe is really amazing. Love how simple it is. Sounds like a blast riding a train to NY! Have fun in the kitchen over there and a Happy Thanksgiving! (Hope to see some pics from the train ride!)
Hey Gloria! Thanks for the sweet comment. I’m on the train right now! So relaxing… I’m loving it! And free wifi was an unexpected bonus 😉 Happy thanksgiving to you as well- I hope the pie crust turned out well for you! <3
I’ve never tried pomegranate curd but it looks and sounds wonderful! Your family will definitely appreciate the effort you put to get this recipe right for them 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful time and Happy Thanksgiving Allie!
I had never tried it before either, lol! I just thought it made sense… Hopefully everyone likes it! I sure do! Happy Thanksgiving, sweetie! xoxo
This looks so delish and beautiful! I’m glad you got to sort the color problem out! It came put fantastic in the end 😉
Happy Thanksgiving and have a lovely weekend 😀
Thank you, Consuelo! I was determined, lol! We eat with our eyes first, right? 😉