Chocolate cranberry curd tart

mickwat155

Hey folks,

Im trying my hand at making this tart but im having trouble with the base all thats used is cream flour, sugar, stick of butter, cocoa powder, 1 egg + yoke and cake four im using cornflour instead when its all mixed its like something that came out of the back of a cow its suppose to be heavy enough to shape any idea what I'm doing wrong??

phormium

Cream flour and cake flour? You're using cornflour instead of what?

mickwat155

phormium wrote: »

Cream flour and cake flour? You're using cornflour instead of what?

The ingredients say to use one cup of all purpose flour and 1/2 of cake flour so I'm using cornflour instead of cake flour

http://pastrieslikeapro.com/2014/11/chocolate-cranberry-curd-tart-2/#.WRnBkc8o_qB

B0jangles

American cake flour is not interchangeable with cornflour, they are very different things - I just had a quick google and according to Nigella Lawson a reasonable substitute is either just plain flour or plain flour mixed with a fairly small amount of cornflour:

For most cake recipes using cake flour (non-self raising) you can use plain flour, or some people like to add cornflour (cornstarch) to help reduce the protien content. For 1 cup plain flour remove 2 tablespoons of flour and replace this with 2 tablespoons cornflour - in metric terms use 105g plain flour plus 20g cornflour per 125g flour in the recipe.

https://www.nigella.com/ask/what-is-cake-flour

Looks like for your recipe you could either just use 1 1/2 cups of plain flour, or 1 cup plain plus 1/2 cup plain with 1 tblsp flour removed and replaced with 1 tblsp cornflour and then sifted repeatedly to mix.

phormium

Yes, as above, way too much cornflour. You could leave it out altogether for a recipe like that, just use all plain flour.

mickwat155

If its made right how long should it take for the curd to set fully? Would it set better at room temperature or in the fridge or freezer?

Cheshire Cat

The recipe you linked says:
Cover directly with film and refrigerate for several hours or preferably overnight.

The tart sounds lovely, will have to try it.

mickwat155

Cheshire Cat wrote: »

The recipe you linked says:
Cover directly with film and refrigerate for several hours or preferably overnight.

The tart sounds lovely, will have to try it.

I seen that but I checked it before I went to work this morning it must have been in 6 hours or a bit more an it wasnt really that set probably need a whole day maybe? I had to sub the cranberries for cherries but im sure it wouldn't effect the result anyway.

Cheshire Cat

mickwat155 wrote: »

I seen that but I checked it before I went to work this morning it must have been in 6 hours or a bit more an it wasnt really that set probably need a whole day maybe? I had to sub the cranberries for cherries but im sure it wouldn't effect the result anyway.

It would, because Cranberries have a lot of natural pectin and cherries don't.

kylith

Unfortunately baking is like chemistry: any substitution is going to affect the result, sometimes disastrously.

kylith

Just to check too: you didn't use a whole Irish stick of butter, did you? An American stick of butter is about 115g.

mickwat155

kylith wrote: »

Just to check too: you didn't use a whole Irish stick of butter, did you? An American stick of butter is about 115g.

I used 114 grams exactly

mickwat155

Cheshire Cat wrote: »

It would, because Cranberries have a lot of natural pectin and cherries don't.

So it probably wont set at all do you think? I was raging I didnt use cranberries because the local supervalu didn't have them an I wasnt bothered with town

Dial Hard

mickwat155 wrote:

So it probably wont set at all do you think? I was raging I didnt use cranberries because the local supervalu didn't have them an I wasnt bothered with town

You'll struggle to get fresh cranberries anywhere at this time of year, they're out of season. You might get frozen in Fallon & Byrne or Mortons or the like.

mmg0305

I'm assuming the base is ok now and you're having trouble with the curd not setting? Sounds like you didn't cook it enough. I'd expect it should have thickened noticeably before you took it off the heat. Did it? Dunno how much the pectin level matters but the egg yolks should do most of the work.

It does sound nice. I have the remains of a bag of cranberries in my freezer - not enough for the recipe but maybe I could add some other fruit...

mickwat155

mmg0305 wrote: »

I'm assuming the base is ok now and you're having trouble with the curd not setting? Sounds like you didn't cook it enough. I'd expect it should have thickened noticeably before you took it off the heat. Did it? Dunno how much the pectin level matters but the egg yolks should do most of the work.

It does sound nice. I have the remains of a bag of cranberries in my freezer - not enough for the recipe but maybe I could add some other fruit...

Just put it in the bin I wont even give it to the dog suppose ya live an ya learn.. I got two jars of st dalflour cranberries after a bit of a search so im gonna try it again ðŸ‘

phormium

The jars probably already have sugar added so you're messing with the recipe again

Look for frozen ones as no fresh ones will be available now, frozen is the best equivalent to the fresh.

If you really want to use the jars make sure you check for sweetness and I'd probably make the curd differently. If the cranberries are already soft and cooked in the jars then I would just blitz them as they are and sieve as recipe recommended. Use that then as the base for the curd and only add as much sugar as you need, fresh ones are very bitter so they can take loads of sugar but if yours are already sweetened then you need to allow for that.

Adding some cornflour to your curd mix initially when cold and before cooking will help the set, I would go with 2 level tablespoons cornflour to each cup of puree.

mickwat155

phormium wrote: »

The jars probably already have sugar added so you're messing with the recipe again

Look for frozen ones as no fresh ones will be available now, frozen is the best equivalent to the fresh.

If you really want to use the jars make sure you check for sweetness and I'd probably make the curd differently. If the cranberries are already soft and cooked in the jars then I would just blitz them as they are and sieve as recipe recommended. Use that then as the base for the curd and only add as much sugar as you need, fresh ones are very bitter so they can take loads of sugar but if yours are already sweetened then you need to allow for that.

Adding some cornflour to your curd mix initially when cold and before cooking will help the set, I would go with 2 level tablespoons cornflour to each cup of puree.

Tried tesco, dunnes and aldi and I couldn't get fresh or frozen even.. I spotted them jars in dunnes twas the best I could do.. cheers for the info appreciate it

mickwat155

mickwat155 wrote: »

Tried tesco, dunnes and aldi and I couldn't get fresh or frozen even.. I spotted them jars in dunnes twas the best I could do.. cheers for the info appreciate it

###Edit###

Heres the jar I bought am I wasting my time using them or should I hold out for frozen ones??

https://well-healthy.co.uk/st-dalfour-super-plump-premium-cranberries-7-oz-200-g/?gclid=CjwKEAjw6e_IBRDvorfv2Ku79jMSJAAuiv9YROF-laSmzOgfH5tp_NCtvbn198TK_rdQLfXz01_wehoCSXzw_wcB

mmg0305

I would guess they will behave quite differently to fresh/frozen cranberries.

FWIW, I would suggest having a go at making curd with some kind of easily available fresh fruit that goes with chocolate, like orange or raspberry. Then at least you'd know how it should behave if you want to try the preserved cranberries

B0jangles

They sound pretty good since it looks like there is only a small amount of added sugar and nothing else. I'd be a bit worried that since they are already cooked in the jarring process that might affect the pectin and they won't thicken the way fresh berries would.

Adding a some cornflour does sound like a good backup - an alternative to Phormium's suggestion would be to make the curd as he/she suggests but wait until the curd is cooked to see if it is thickening up into a custard-like consistency as it should. If it seems really runny after cooking then you could let it cool a bit, take a 2-3 of tablespoons out, mix with with a tablespoon of cornflour to make a smooth liquid and stir back into the main mixture and heat gently until it thickens up

dammit! I just reread the recipe and you are only supposed to heat the curd mixture to around 76 degree celcius before pouring and chilling and cornflour only thickens at 95 degrees so it's off the table...


Plain leaf gelatin could do the job?

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=280932920

mmg0305

I reckon the biggest issue is not cooking it enough to thicken it. Just getting it to 76 C doesn't sound anything like enough cooking. As mentioned above, cornflour would need higher temp but I don't see a problem with getting it hotter than 76. Just don't go too fast or you could end up with scrambled egg ;-)

Here's a recipe for raspberry curd with some info about how to know when it's done
http://wholesomeireland.com/raspberry-curd/

mickwat155

mmg0305 wrote: »

I reckon the biggest issue is not cooking it enough to thicken it. Just getting it to 76 C doesn't sound anything like enough cooking. As mentioned above, cornflour would need higher temp but I don't see a problem with getting it hotter than 76. Just don't go too fast or you could end up with scrambled egg ;-)

Here's a recipe for raspberry curd with some info about how to know when it's done
http://wholesomeireland.com/raspberry-curd/

Cheers im gonna try that later

Cheshire Cat

I would imagine that red currants, once they are in season, would be a suitable substitute for the cranberries.
They are tart and have a fair bit of pectin. They should start appearing in the shops at the end of June/beginning of July.

mickwat155

Cheshire Cat wrote: »

I would imagine that red currants, once they are in season, would be a suitable substitute for the cranberries.
They are tart and have a fair bit of pectin. They should start appearing in the shops at the end of June/beginning of July.

Id use what ever would set really well I just want something that will hold when I cut through the cake with a knife

Cheshire Cat

mickwat155 wrote: »

Id use what ever would set really well I just want something that will hold when I cut through the cake with a knife

If you want to be on the safe side, your best bet is to use some gelatine.