Fresh, fluffy, and velvety, the mandarin cream (or clementine cream) is a simple and incredibly versatile dessert to prepare. Perfect for filling birthday cakes or layered cakes, accompanying pandoro and panettone, or served as a spoon dessert, perhaps with cantucci or tea biscuits. Its preparation is reminiscent of the diplomatic cream (or Italian chantilly), made by mixing custard and whipped cream. In this case, however, part of the milk is replaced with fresh mandarin juice. To make it even more aromatic, a touch of mandarin liqueur is added, which enhances its fragrance. With the Christmas holidays approaching, this cream can become a valuable ally: an original idea is to offer it alongside other creams for pandoro and panettone, allowing guests to personalize each slice as they please!
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
- Energy 236.29 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 29.55 (g) of which sugars 24.09 (g)
- Proteins 2.81 (g)
- Fat 11.66 (g) of which saturated 1.65 (g)of which unsaturated 1.44 (g)
- Fibers 0.03 (g)
- Sodium 2.66 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 3 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for about 10.6 oz of mandarin cream
If you are celiac, check that the cornstarch is labeled “gluten-free”; as for the liqueur, NO label is needed for all distillates not added with flavors or other substances.
- 1.7 fl oz mandarin juice (about 3 mandarins)
- 1 egg yolk
- 6 fl oz milk
- 2.5 oz sugar
- 2 tablespoons liqueur (mandarin)
- 0.9 oz cornstarch
- 3.5 fl oz fresh liquid cream (unsweetened)
Tools
- 1 Citrus Juicer
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Saucepan thick bottom
- Electric Whisks
How to prepare mandarin or clementine cream
To prepare the mandarin cream, it is better to choose untreated mandarins because their zest will also be used. You can use clementines instead of mandarins. Wash them well, dry them, and with a knife, remove two or three large pieces of zest, trying to avoid the white part as much as possible (1). Then squeeze the juice (2): you will need exactly 50 ml (1.7 fl oz), for which I squeezed 3 mandarins. It is advisable to measure the amount of juice accurately. In a bowl, combine the egg yolk and sugar (3).
Whisk them with the electric whisks for a few seconds, then add the liqueur (4) and the mandarin juice (5), continuing to mix with the whisks. Finally, add the cornstarch (6) and incorporate it with the whisks into the rest of the ingredients, mixing thoroughly to dissolve any lumps.
Finally, pour in the cold milk (7) and continue to mix with the whisks to blend everything well. Place the resulting mixture over low heat and add the mandarin zest (8). Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until the cream thickens (9).
Pour it into a bowl and cover it with a sheet of cling film in contact (10). This way, the annoying film that makes the cream uneven will not form. Let it cool at room temperature for about an hour. When the custard is cool, proceed to whip the cream: if you keep the bowl and whisks in the freezer for about ten minutes, it will whip better. The cream should also be kept in the refrigerator until it is time to whip it.
Pour it into the bowl and whip it with the whisk at maximum speed until it is perfectly whipped (11). To check that it is properly whipped, turn the bowl upside down: the cream should remain attached to the sides and bottom without slipping at all. Then, take the cream, remove the cling film, and mix it vigorously with a hand whisk. Then add the whipped cream (12).
Gently incorporate it into the cream with slow movements from bottom to top (13). Don’t rush; if the cream deflates, it will become liquid and irrecoverable. In the end, you should obtain a homogeneous and fluffy mixture (14).
You can use the mandarin cream immediately or store it in the refrigerator until ready to serve. It is excellent with pandoro and panettone and also suitable for filling sponge cake, dessert rolls, or as a dessert to be served in a cup, accompanied by cantucci, cat tongues, or other dry biscuits.
Storage
You can store the mandarin cream in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
