Lemon Tart with Redcurrants and Strawberries Recipe | The Feedfeed (2024)

FAQs

Why does my lemon tart filling crack? ›

Why does my lemon tart crack? The most common reasons why your tart has cracked is because the oven was too hot or the tart baked too long and overbaked. We recommend pulling your lemon tart from the oven when it's still a little jiggly in the middle when the pan is gently shaken.

A custard with both eggs and starch needs to be thoroughly cooked. The reason is that yolks contain an enzyme which liquidifies starch. It doesn't happen outright, but will happen while your tart is cooling. The only way to prevent it is to heat the mix high enough so the enzyme is deactivated.

Why is my lemon tart runny? If your lemon tart is runny, the mostly likely cause is not cooking the filling long enough. It should be nicely thickened when you pull it off the stove.

Burr explains that custard, especially ones that are heavy on fruit, have a tendency to split as a result of the moisture content and too-high oven temperatures. This is the chief issue you'll encounter when baking a lemon tart.

Cornstarch has thickening power similar to Instant ClearJel. Like flour, it lends a cloudy, semi-transparent look to filling. It can also give filling a starchy taste. For full effectiveness, make sure the pie filling is bubbling up through the crust before removing your pie from the oven.

Blind-bake your base before adding a filling to help to firm the base and avoid liquid being absorbed into it. Prick the base with a fork to help steam escape, cover with foil or parchment, and weigh it down with ceramic baking beans, uncooked rice or white sugar.

For a lemon filling that's glossy and translucent, and firm enough to cut yet melts in your mouth, cornstarch is the thickener of choice.

Take from the oven and whilst still hot carefully run around the edges of the tin with a serrated knife to trim the pastry overhang. Cutting whilst still warm will prevent the pastry from breaking. This next step is optional but I often do this when making a lemon tart, quiche or custard tart.

Although lemon curd uses egg yolks and/or egg whites, the final product shouldn't taste eggy. If it does, it may mean that you've overcooked your eggs. In saying that, traditional lemon curd does have a distinct after taste which doesn't sit well with some.

Half-fill the tart case with lemon mixture, then place tart on an oven shelf, ensuring it's level. Fill to the rim with remaining filling (you may have a little left over). Bake until the tart is set but with a little wobble in the centre (about 30 minutes).

Why is my tart filling not setting? ›

If the filling is runny and flowing out of the tart when you cut into it, then it is likely that the curd was not cooked for quite long enough. You need to be patient when cooking citrus curds as if you heat the mixture too quickly then it can curdle and become lumpy. You need to keep a low heat and stir constatntly.

It is vital to blind-bake the pastry – that is, without the filling – in this tart to avoid the dreaded soggy bottom. Once the pastry case is baked, check carefully for any holes and patch them with scraps of leftover pastry to avoid any leaks once the filling is poured in.

She starts by mixing some flour and water in a bowl—just enough to make a small amount of paste, the consistency of spackle. She then uses a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the paste across the line of damage in the crust. Next, she places the crust in the oven and bakes it just until the paste has dried.

Eggs start to coagulate (turn solid) at 160°F (which is how they thicken the filling); but the longer they cook, the more they tighten up. Those cracks you see in your pie are the result of overcooked eggs, eggs that have tightened up so much, in an uneven way, that they've created fissures in the filling.

Put the dough on your floured work surface and knead it once or twice, shaping it into a disk about 3/4-inch thick. Flour the disk, place it in the center of a gallon freezer storage bag, and roll it gently - right in the bag - to make a disk 8-inches in diameter. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Too much baking powder can cause the cake to rise rapidly and crack. Always level off teaspoon measures of baking powder and bicarbonate of soda – a little extra can make a big difference. It's also important to use the cake tin size specified in the recipe.