I attempted the SMBC again.  I heated the creme anglaise to 175F and my meringue seemed nice.  The creme anglaise and butter were very silky when mixed—the problem started with the addition of the italian meringue.  It became curdly and then just got soupy.  I warmed to as much as 75 F and it became smooth but was not thick at all.  I was hoping to keep 2/3 of the batch for chocolate and the other 1/3 (I made a triple batch) for future flavouring.  Any suggestions?

Sounds like your butter/creme anglais mixture could have been too cold when you added the meringue (or possibly the meringue was too warm).

Your description sounds just like what can happen with mousseline when you add the butter:  first it thins and curdles, then it comes together and emulsifies/thickenes once enough butter is added.  But Silk Meringue doesn’t act like that, it is just whipped butter with stuff added, no curdling.  And it isn’t intended to have a lot of whipping after adding the meringue, because that deflates the texture a bit and sort of defeats the reason for adding the meringue in the first place.

So that leaves me wondering if there could be some issue with scaling the recipe- when you tripled the recipe, did you end up with the correct quantities of custard, meringue and butter?

Or the other thought I had is that the larger batch may be more prone to temperature differences that contribute to curdling.  A triple batch of custard will take a lot longer to cool, and a triple batch of butter will take a lot longer to warm, etc.  Next time (I shudder to think of how many times you’ve made this…), consider bringing each of the three components- butter, custard and meringue, to between 70-75F before mixing them together.

Just to check, are you using whole milk for the custard?

If you find some scaling issue- like too much meringue or not enough butter- I would take a small portion of the existing thin bc and bring it back to 75, then treat it like mousseline, adding 75F butter by the tablespoon until it emulsifies.  If that works, you’ll know what to do with the rest of the batch.  Adding chocolate will accomplish much the same goal, adding more fat to achieve emulsification, so I would do one or the other, both may not be necessary.

Sorry this is a lot to check, just hoping we get this sorted out for you. 

I wonder, also, if you make a 3x batch of each component, if you can then weigh each out into 3 bowls, for 3 single batches, or two for two 1.5x batches. Maybe it would all even out and mix better.

So, make all your meringue, weigh it, and separate it into 2 or 3.  Ditto custard, ditto butter.

Maybe that will help all come to temperature more easiily.  Then, after mixing each batch, they can be combined (or not or flavored differently or whatever).

I forgot to mention… we had a power outtage yesterday so the butter, meringue, and anglaise were all at room temp for about 3 hours before I made it!  So I know for a fact that they were 70F!  (I rebeat the meringue, btw).  I cooled to about 60F and it finally thickened enough to use as a frosting…but it’s not texturally like SMBC from my successful attempts…that’s what’s really annoying me b/c I made a huge batch for my cousins’s wedding and it was perfect!

I am using whole milk for the custard.  I’m wondering if I could reverse the process—make IMBC and add custard to it?  I have yet to ruin a batch of Mouselline (but at the rate I’m going, I wouldn’t be surprised!). 
I have sat down and checked ingredients…I’m at a loss?!

Sherrie - 28 June 2012 11:23 AM

I’m wondering if I could reverse the process—make IMBC and add custard to it?

I’m sure it would work, it would be similar to adding lemon curd.  Working out the specifics might take a little trial and error as the anglais is thinner than curd.  I think maybe Hector did some work on this, perhaps he can provide a jumping off point?

I have sat down and checked ingredients…I’m at a loss?!

If you’ve checked the scaling of everything- I’m at a loss, too!