"Vox Humana" > wrote in message >...
> "N. Thornton" > wrote in message
> om...

> > > > Baking an open top pie produces a hard top surface. For the next one I
> > > > need a soft moist surface, no crusting. Its a basic question, but how
> > > > do I achieve this?
> > > >
> > > > Its going to be lemon curd pie, lemon juice and peel in pineapple
> > > > juice set with eggs, in a pastry bottm and sides. An its going to be
> > > > irresistible. But how do I prevent that crust?
> > > >
> > > > Pies like this have been taking 1hr 15 mins at 170C, and theyre about
> > > > 1.7" deep.

> > > Blind bake the crust. Make the lemon curd on the range top. Fill the
> > > crust. Refrigerate.

> > ok... thinking this though. I want to get the curd to set, as I intend
> > to cut the pie into 30 servings and be able to handle them. I was
> > going to use enough egg to achieve this, to make the curd set. Now
> > with this much egg, if I make it on the ring it will set in the pan,
> > and I'll be turning lumps into the pie crust.
> >
> > OTOH if I heat it up but dont cook it any further it wont set in the
> > pie case.
> >
> > This is going to be a large pie, not just a lil 9" er, and I guess I'm
> > not seeing how what you suggest would quite work.
> >
> > I'dlove to findly imagine that turning the curd into a hot pie crust
> > would set it, but given that previous pies all took 1hr 15mins at 170C
> > to set them, I think thats very unlikely.
> >
> > I would use a starch set, it works well with lemon curd, but I really
> > dont think thats going to be at all rigid enough for a pie cut into
> > squares and handled.

> I think you are making this more difficult that need be.

I'm all ears to an effective method.

> I also don't
> understand why someone would choose to make a giant pie with a filling so
> viscous that it would hold up to being sliced into 30 pieces rather than
> making several pies with a pleasing consistency. While it would be more
> work, I would consider making 30 tarts that don't have to be sliced into
> portions rather than one industrial size pie.

Maing lots of litluns would be way more work and yield a mere fraction
of the final pie volume. Quadrupling ones workload per serving is
clearly not the way to do it.

Regarding the consistency I think a pie that is just about set enough
to cut and handle can be pleasing, without being in any way hard. But
we shall see once I figure it out, I could be wrong.


Thanks, NT