My current culinary obsession is curd--lemon, raspberry, you name it. Most of us love a good multi-tasker, and curd is nothing if not adaptable. On its own it perks up scones, waffles, even toast. Use it as a filling for sandwich cookies or layers cakes, or as a dip for shortbread cookies or graham crackers. Fill a baked pie shell or cream puffs with curd, or fold in some real whipped cream for a quick mousse.

While lemon curd is the most traditional, I wanted to try something a little different and came up with this Amaretto Curd. Its final resting place was between a shortbread crust and streusel, but it would be delicious however you want to use it.

Amaretto Curd
2 cups frozen cherries
5 egg yolks
1 whole egg
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
8 Tablespoons cold butter, cut in pieces

Cook cherries in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cherries are soft and have released quite a bit of liquid. Strain the cherries and juice into a bowl or measuring cup through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the fruit solids with a spoon to release all possible juice. You should have about 2/3 of a cup cherry juice.

Whisk together the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar and cherry juice in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract. Whisk in the butter, a piece at a time, until completely incorporated. Transfer the curd to a bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap so it doesn’t form a skin, and set aside to cool. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.