Food & Drink :: Easy Mini Lemon Curd Pastries

I love picking up fresh pastries on the weekends. It’s seen as a “hey, you’ve worked hard all week, time for something special” kind of treat. If I was a skilled baker, I’d definitely prefer to make patches of goodies at home over buying them from the store.

However, baking to me has always been super complicated, lots of steps, many ingredients involved, and requires precision and patience. Which quite frankly I don’t have what it takes to perfect. But, I recently discovered the simplest (and tastiest) recipe for a stellar weekend delight thanks to my exclusive visit to the President’s Choice Test Kitchen!

I was inspired to transform a delicious spoonful of PC Black Label Lemon Curd I was newly introduced to, into these easy mini lemon curd pastries.

Keep reading for this approachable recipe and my visit to the President’s Choice Test Kitchen!

As a consumer, we often overlook and under appreciate the research and development efforts that go into the production of a new product. I know I’m certainly guilty of it! I was privileged to visit the President’s Choice Test Kitchen a couple months ago where I experienced food innovation first hand and managed to stuff my face with PC’s secret recipes in the making.
Accompanied by my #DiscoverPC team, we were led into the Test Kitchen located at the center court of Loblaw’s head office. The Test Kitchen was full of energy. Chefs busy compiling ingredients in search for the next ah-ha recipe.

It was interesting to learn that food trends play a vital role in the creation and development of recipes and products. The PC chefs follow food trends closely to integrate them into their next creations. Once a product is created, it is tried and tested many times to understand how it can be improved, what markets will respond positively before ever hitting grocery shelves. Many of these creations take months to perfect and I was so thrilled to be part of such a unique and exclusive experience.

Ever since I tried this jar of PC Black Label Lemon Curd at the Test Kitchen, I’ve been looking for ways to add it to just about anything! Seriously guys, this is innovation at its finest!

The thing I love most about this recipe is that it can be adapted depending on what fruits you have at home. Lemon curd pairs wonderfully with all sorts of berries, and well, when you don’t have to make it from scratch, that’s music to my ears!

What You Will Need:

PC Black Label Lemon Curd
Fresh berries
One package of Frozen Puff Pastry
A round cookie cutter in two sizes (or you can also use the rims of glasses in varying sizes)

Steps:

Defrost the frozen puff pastry sheets as directed on the package
Preheat oven as directed on the package
Unfold the pastry sheets carefully and lay flat on a flour surface
Cut out rounds using a cookie cutter or rim of a glass
Slightly score each round’s inner cavity with a smaller round cookie cutter, glass, or with a sharp knife
Bake as directed on the package
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool
Slowly remove the center cavity with a knife (the center lifts easily from step 5)
Fill each cavity with a dollop of lemon curd
Top with fresh fruits and icing sugar for garnish

These mini lemon curd pastries were just perfect enjoyed with a cup of afternoon tea. And if you made extra servings, the puff pastries can easily be stored away in the freezer and warmed up again in the future. I recommend that you dress them as you are ready to eat them. That way the lemon curd can stay fresh in the jar.

I’ve been brainstorming different uses for this jar of lemon curd goodness and think it’ll also be wonderful mixed into a bowl of warm breakfast oatmeal topped with bananas and strawberries.

Hope you enjoyed this simple yet beautiful dessert!

Disclaimer: This post was created in partnership with President’s Choice but all opinions are my own.