# Egg Custard Tart - How to stop the filling rising (puffing up)



## charlievb (Sep 7, 2011)

Hi all, been trying to perfect Marcus Wareing's egg custard tart:

http://www.channel4.com/4food/recip...marcus-wareings-baked-egg-custard-tart-recipe

One (of the few) problems i encounter on my quest for perfection, is that the egg custart mixture puffs up during baking, it does settle mostly after cooling, but i dont think it should puff up at all if done correctly.

Anyone got any idea what i could be doing wrong. See a video of Marcus making this tart here:






thanks guys


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## charlievb (Sep 7, 2011)

im thinking possibly over beating the egg yolks and sugar for the filling, perhaps just slowly combine the two without incorporating any air with a whisk


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Why do you think it shouldn't puff at all during the baking?  As long as the final product looks right, has a silky texture and a smooth top, what's important about what it looks like while it's cooking?   

A bubbly base can make a bubbly or grainy custard.  You do want to keep the air out.  Combine your ingredients with a "French whisk" (pear shaped as opposed to balloon, heavy tines as opposed to wires), and pass through a sieve before baking.  The sieve will knock down the bubbles considerably.

BDL


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

All custards will rise. Keep out the air don;t overwhip, don't use machine to whip. If any air bubbles form prior baking break them with toothpick.. don't pour mixture from any height otherwise more bubbles.


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## charlievb (Sep 7, 2011)

boar_d_laze said:


> Why do you think it shouldn't puff at all during the baking? As long as the final product looks right, has a silky texture and a smooth top, what's important about what it looks like while it's cooking?
> 
> A bubbly base can make a bubbly or grainy custard. You do want to keep the air out. Combine your ingredients with a "French whisk" (pear shaped as opposed to balloon,* heavy tines as opposed to wires*), and pass through a sieve before baking. The sieve will knock down the bubbles considerably.
> 
> BDL


why does a heavy sponge tin produce a better result than a flan ring?


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Originally Posted by *charlievb* 


> why does a heavy sponge tin produce a better result than a flan ring?


Does it?

You're garbling, I think. The suggestion was to use a whisk with heavy _tines_. *Tines, not tin*. You wanted to know how to make a smooth, dense, bubble-free egg mix. French whisks are intended more for mixing than for beating air into mixtures to make them light. Thicker tines introduce less air than thin, piano wire tines or even forks.

Still... focus on results not imaginary problems.

BDL


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## charlievb (Sep 7, 2011)

boar_d_laze said:


> Originally Posted by *charlievb*
> 
> Does it?
> 
> ...


 the result is dependent on such problems. a rising egg custard filling while cooking causes firstly uneven cooking and as a corollary an uneven finish to the top. The result is a tart that is flawed both in terms of cooking and presentation.


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## chocotuile (Oct 19, 2011)

Eggs by their nature will rise during the baking process. If you want to minimize that from happening, either:

Reduce the amount of eggs in the recipe or,

Whisk the custard just barely, enough to get the mixture to come together but not so much that you incorporate air into the custard

http://chocotuile.blogspot.com/


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