Runny tart filling

[Dailey]

i made these wonderful little tarts yesterday and they were delicious but the filling was runny, nothing like the picture from the website i got them from. the only thing i did differently was i left out the lemon juice since i didn't have any on hand. i can't figure out what i did wrong, if anything. does anyone have any ideas? i need to make them again this weekend and was hoping to pipe the filling instead of spooning it into the tarts.

hmmm, its not letting me add the link. if anyone has time, the website is joyofbaking.com its under "pies and tarts" and its called "shortbread tarts with cream filling". thanks!

[McDuff]

You need the acidity from the lemon juice to clabber the condensed milk.

[Dailey]

your kidding?!? well isn't that something, i thought adding the lemon juice would make it even *more* runny! thanks for the help.

[Cadbury]

I would have to agree that the lemon juice is necessary for this to work. The link for the recipe is here.

They look delicious.

[Cadbury]

For research purposes, I made these tarts. I had problems not only with the filling but with the base as well.

As far as the base was concerned, the mixture was far too soft to roll into balls and push into the tins. I could have put it into the fridge for a while but I piped it into the tins instead.

The filling did set in the fridge but not enough to hold its form once piped - tasted okay but not the level of presentation I was looking for (I was taking these to a meeting). I scraped out the tarts that I had filled. I then whipped some cream with some of the prepared filling until I had stiff peaks. This piped very well into the tarts and I think actually tested better (more mellow) than the original.

There were no tarts left for me to bring home.

Edited August 8, 2006 by Cadbury (log)

[McDuff]

For research purposes, I made these tarts.  I had problems not only with the filling but with the base as well. 

As far as the base was concerned, the mixture was far too soft to roll into balls and push into the tins.  I could have put it into the fridge for a while but I piped it into the tins instead.

The filling did set in the fridge but not enough to hold its form once piped - tasted okay but not the level of presentation I was looking for (I was taking these to a meeting).  I scraped out the tarts that I had filled.  I then whipped some cream with some of the prepared filling until I had still peaks.  This piped very well into the tarts and I think actually tested better (more mellow) than the original. 

There were no tarts left for me to bring home.

←

Slap a couple of egg yolks into this recipe and then bake the filled tarts for about ten minutes. That ought to tighten them right up. Or bake the filling in a shallow pan, let it chill, and then pipe it.

Edited August 8, 2006 by McDuff (log)

[Dailey]

For research purposes, I made these tarts.  I had problems not only with the filling but with the base as well. 

As far as the base was concerned, the mixture was far too soft to roll into balls and push into the tins.  I could have put it into the fridge for a while but I piped it into the tins instead.

The filling did set in the fridge but not enough to hold its form once piped - tasted okay but not the level of presentation I was looking for (I was taking these to a meeting).  I scraped out the tarts that I had filled.  I then whipped some cream with some of the prepared filling until I had stiff peaks.  This piped very well into the tarts and I think actually tested better (more mellow) than the original. 

There were no tarts left for me to bring home.

←

i made these again this past weekend with the lemon juice and it still didn't stiffen up, o well, i just added a blueberry to each tart and it looked fine. i also made pastry cream with fresh whipped cream mixed in as an alternative filling for my guest but everyone liked the original filling better. i agree, that stuff is awesome!

the dough was a bit soft but i was still able to shape them into balls, i just dusted my hands lightly with flour. i love making tarts but always make sure my butter isn't too soft or the room too warm otherwise i have trouble getting them to behave!