Why does the custard in my lemon/lime bars always come out looking terrible and with bad texture?
Here's a pic of the ones I made yesterday: http://imgur.com/XTXBlk0
And here is a pic of the consistency that I'm trying to achieve: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3484/3314383525_1912d1d089.jpg
I've had similar experiences with lemon bars as well. The custard part just never comes out how I want. Any ideas?
Best Answer
It is very difficult to tell what is wrong definitively from your pictures, but the custard appears to be curdled, or have too much air, or both.
When you make the lemon or lime curd, you don't want to mix air into it, which will cause it to puff up, then collapse.
You also don't want to overcook it, as it will curdle like scrambled eggs. You haven't mentioned whether the curd is made stove top or baked in the oven on top of the crust layer. From the look, I am guessing they are baked, and were probably over baked. Lemon curd wants to be cooked to about 170 F (77 C), which is a little lower than a standard custard, due to the high level of acidity making the proteins set at a lower temperature.
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Why do my lemon bars look weird?
When you make the lemon or lime curd, you don't want to mix air into it, which will cause it to puff up, then collapse. You also don't want to overcook it, as it will curdle like scrambled eggs. You haven't mentioned whether the curd is made stove top or baked in the oven on top of the crust layer.Why do my lemon bars look eggy?
Why do Lemon Bars smell eggy? The recipe contains a large amount of eggs but this shouldn't make them have an eggy texture of smell eggy. Make sure you haven't skipped out on the zest and are using freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavour.Why are my lemon bars rubbery?
Some movement and looseness is fine, and that's how lemon bars are, but there shouldn't be pooled liquid. Don't overcook them and turn them into a rubbery state, either. They do firm up as they cool. Cool them for about 1 hour at room temperature, and then refrigerate them for at least 3 hours before slicing.How do you know if lemon bars are overcooked?
Bake until they wiggle like jello The way to check if the bars are finished baking is with the \u201c wiggle test.\u201d When you jiggle the pan, the curd should wiggle like firm jello\u2014anything looser and your lemon bars will fall apart once you cut them; if they don't wiggle at all, then the bars might be overcooked and grainy.Lemon Bars
More answers regarding why does the custard in my lemon/lime bars always come out looking terrible and with bad texture?
Answer 2
I agree that it is badly curdled. Custard per se is finicky about curdling, it has an about 10 degrees celsius "right" window - if it doesn't reach that temp, it doesn't set, if it overshoots it, it curdles. Lemon custard is much worse, because the acid curdles proteins even without high temp.
The tricks you can use: 1) warm everything really slow. It is a little-known fact that the speed with which eggs are heated determines the temperature at which they will curdle (source for this counterintuitive statement: Cookwise, a book by the food scientist Corriher).
So, leave your eggs out overnight before starting, so you will be sure that they are room temperature and not fridge temperature. Then set the oven very low. It could be that an experienced cook can get away with 350 as in the recipe, as they may be able to pull it out quickly. You will be on the secure side if you set it to maybe 230 and then bake by internal temperature, as Saj suggested.
Also, if you still experience trouble, you could increase the amount of sugar in the recipe. This will reduce the chance of curdling too.
Answer 3
I don’t think I've ever seen a recipe that says to whip the custard after cooking it. That might have something to do with the thickeners not binding properly, and the air bubbles falling from the weight. It also is curdled. I would try keeping the custard just on the stovetop next time. As for cooking time, bring it to a boil for about 30 seconds, but no more than a minute, and then pour onto your shortbread.
I just tried a new recipe, and it suggested straining the mixture, but my custard didn't set all the way, and I think the straining might have done that.
Anyway, test one change at a time and see what happens.
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