Raspberry Curd

makes 350g

* 250 g raspberries
* 170 g caster sugar* 50 g butter, preferably unsalted, cut into cubes
* 2 eggs beaten

1. Place the raspberries in a pan and cook gently for 5 to 10 minutes, squashing the fruits with a spoon to release their juices.

2. Push the fruit through a sieve, collecting the puree in a bowl.

3. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water (or use a double boiler) and add all the other ingredients, pouring the beaten eggs through a sieve onto the puree.
NB ** Making sure you add the eggs before the ingredients get too hot or else they will curdle, I found this out myself and it wasn't nice, so now I make sure I add the eggs before heating all the ingredients up together.
4. Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is well blended. Continue cooking, stirring constantly until the curd is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon - this should take about 20 - 30 minutes.

5. Pour the curd into small, hot sterilised jars, and seal.

This recipe was in the 'Grow your Own' magazine and taken from the 'Fruits of The Earth' cookbook. It didn't however say how long it keeps of if it should be kept in the fridge. So I contacted the author of the book , Gloria Nicol, by e-mail, and she very kindly replied saying that it should keep for at least 6 weeks in the fridge UNOPENED, and 2 weeks in the fridge after opening. It only made 2 smallish jars, which I prefer as it gets eaten before it has a chance to go off. believe me it's delicious I'm on my second jar. yummy stirred into plain yogurt.