Custard question

[nancy_east]

A question for all you bakers out there--I'm making the Orange Rasberry Trifle from one of the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks and I believe I botched the orange custard. I don't think I let it thicken long enough on the stove and now the morning after in the fridge, it's pretty un-custard like (i.e. not thick). My question is this--can I put it back over the stove and try to let it thicken again or am I past that point and should I just start over? I'm not sure why I took it off the heat so soon, but I did and now I'm regretting it! :rolleyes:

[sneezles]

Since the problem is undercooking you can try cooking some more (though very slowly heated in a double boiler would be the only way I'd try). Also use an onstant read thermometer to know when it reaches the cooked point of 170º (unless your recipe says differently). JMHO!

[gabbyh]

My husband, the official "custard maker" in the family also says to give it a try...if it thickens too much, just add a bit more liquid...hope it works for you!

I never had custard until I went to Australia...oh my...it's a staple for me now :D

~Gail

[Lrimerman]

I agree you can try to thicken it some more by cooking it longer. I have made that recipe several times, It is really good. I find you really have to cook it a long time to get it to thicken, I tend to be impatient too, but it does take it awhile to get to the right stage.

Lisa

[Gecko]

Just another thought - you could try and thicken it first on its own and if that doesn't work make a paste of cornstarch and water and add it in small amounts until it reaches the desired thickness. Make sure you do add it slowly and mix it in well after each addition or you will end up with glue.

[nancy_east]

Thanks so much for all the advice. I'm about to go give it a shot and I'll post my results for everyone!
Nancy

[nancy_east]

Success! I heated it up very, very slowly until it was starting to thicken a little. I stirred it a good 10 minutes and it wouldn't thicken further, so I made a slurry with a little cornstarch and a small amount of the hot custard and then added it to the pot. That definitely did the trick and I now have a very yummy orange custard to use for this trifle recipe. Thanks again everyone for your help :)