Pomegranate curd makes a great homemade gift for the holidays! Whip up a big batch of this tart, seasonal, and beautiful topping.

Pomegranate Curd | Baking a Moment

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.

Pomegranate Curd | Baking a Moment

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.

Pomegranate Curd | Baking a Moment

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.

Pomegranate Curd | Baking a Moment

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.

Pomegranate Curd | Baking a Moment

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 | Baking a Moment
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Pomegranate Curd

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Pomegranate curd makes a great homemade gift for the holidays! Whip up a big batch of this tart, seasonal, and beautiful topping.

Ingredients

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.

Notes

Yields about 2 cups.
Adapted from Cook with Me
Calories: 100kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 56mg, Sodium: 45mg, Potassium: 138mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 152IU, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 1mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Topping
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