All acidic elements will change the electrical environment of a custard mix, lower the coagulation temperature, and accelerate thickening. As a result, citrus-based curds as well as custards that contain fruits or vegetables (all of which contain some acid), will set more quickly than mixes containing no acidic elements.
The basic recipes for creams and custards can be divided into three categories. Each contains essentially the same ingredients but is different in the method of preparation:
- stirred custards such as custard cream (crème anglaise)
- starchbound custards such as pastry cream (crème pâtissière)
- baked custards such as crème caramel, pot de crème, and crème brûlée