CWA Mandarin Tartlets
- 2 Beaten eggs to seal the shells prior to filling (orange marmalade can be used as an alternative)
- 500 ml Full cream milk
- 1 Vanilla pod, split and scraped
- 6 Egg yolks
- 100 g Caster sugar
- 40 g Cornflour
- 8 Mandarins, peeled, deseeded, depithed and rested on paper towel to absorb extra juices (tinned mandarins are fine)
- 1 Zest of one orange
- 1 Zest of one lemon
- 1 Orange marmalade jam to glaze
- 50 4.5cm blind baked shortcrust pastry tartlet shells
- 30 Pieces of candied orange peel
Before starting to cook note that this recipe requires time for the custard and orange peel to cool in the fridge. You will also need to pre heat your oven to 180 to seal the shells.
Heat milk in a saucepan along with the whole split vanilla pod and citrus zest. Bring to a boil on medium heat. As soon as it boils take off the heat and cover to infuse for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place egg yolks and caster sugar in a bowl and whisk for one minute. Add the cornflour and whisk thoroughly. Remove the vanilla pod before pouring the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Taste and add more zest if you wish. Transfer the mixture back into the saucepan and whisk continously over a low-medium heat to thicken. It will continue to thicken when cooled but aim to acheive a firmness that will momentarily hold its shape when dolloped while at the stove, it takes patience but is well worth it! Transfer to a bowl to refrigerate, avoiding custard skin by sitting a greased circle of baking paper directly on top of the custard.
Coat the inside of the pastry shells with beaten egg or orange marmalade and bake at 180c for 5 - 8 minutes to create a seal which allows the shells to be filled 6 - 8 hours in advance.
Once the custard is cool, pipe or spoon it into the shells, arranging two mandaring segments on top. Heat the orange marmalade and glaze the mandarin segments, creating an appetising shine. Garnish with strands of candied orange peel.
To make your own candied orange peel use a peeler to create long strands of orange peel, free of pith. Slice into thin strips. Create stock syrup by heating a 50/50 mix of water and caster sugar in a heavy saucepan over a medium flame stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the orange peel and cook until peel is tender and the syrup thickens (about 20 minutes). Transfer the peel and syrup to a small bowl and refridgerate until cold. Be sure to pat the peel dry before arranging as a garnish on top of the tartlet.
Thank you to Bianca Weiler and our friends at the CWA for allowing us to share this recipe and for all the great work they do. Find out more about the CWA - click here