Fresh, frothy, and velvety, mandarin cream (or clementine cream) is a simple dessert to prepare and incredibly versatile. 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 diplomatic cream (or Italian chantilly), obtained by mixing pastry cream 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, enhancing its fragrance. With the holiday season approaching, this cream can become a valuable ally: an original idea is to offer it along with other creams for pandoro and panettone, allowing guests to customize each slice to their liking!
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, 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 75 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 300g of Mandarin Cream
If you are celiac, make sure that the cornstarch is labeled “gluten-free”; regarding the liqueur, all distilled spirits not added with flavors or other substances do NOT need a label.
- 1.7 fl oz mandarin juice (about 3 mandarins)
- 1 egg yolk
- 6.1 fl oz milk
- 2.5 oz sugar
- 2 tablespoons liqueur (mandarin flavored)
- 0.9 oz cornstarch
- 3.4 fl oz fresh cream (unsweetened)
Tools
- 1 Citrus Juicer
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Saucepan with a thick bottom
- Electric Whisks
How to prepare mandarin or clementine cream
For preparing mandarin cream, it’s better to choose untreated mandarins because the peel will also be used. Clementines can be used instead of mandarins. Wash them well, dry them, and use a knife to remove two or three large pieces of peel, 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), which I obtained by squeezing 3 mandarins. It’s important to measure the quantity of juice precisely. In a bowl, combine the egg yolk and sugar (3).
Beat them with the electric whisks for a few seconds, then also add the liqueur (4) and the mandarin juice (5), continuing to work the mixture with the whisks. Finally, add the cornstarch (6) and incorporate it into the rest of the ingredients, mixing well to dissolve any lumps.
Finally, pour in the cold milk (7) and continue to mix with the whisks to blend everything well. Place the mixture on low heat and add the mandarin peels (8). Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until the cream has thickened (9).
Pour it into a bowl and cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap in contact with the surface (10). This way, the annoying film that makes the cream uneven won’t form. Let it cool at room temperature for about an hour. When the pastry cream is cold, proceed to whip the cream: if you put 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’s time to whip it.
Pour it into the bowl and whip it with the whisks at the highest speed until it is perfectly whipped (11). To check if it’s whipped properly, turn the bowl upside down: the cream should remain stuck to the sides and bottom without sliding off. Then take the cream, remove the plastic wrap, and mix it vigorously with a hand whisk. Then add the whipped cream (12).
Gently fold it into the cream, moving slowly from the bottom up (13). Don’t rush, if the whipped cream deflates, the cream will become liquid and cannot be recovered. In the end, you should obtain a homogeneous and frothy mixture (14).
You can use the mandarin cream immediately or store it in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve it. It is excellent for accompanying pandoro and panettone, but also for filling sponge cakes, sweet rolls, or as a dessert to be served in a cup, accompanied by cantucci, cat’s tongues, or other dry biscuits.
Storage
You can store the mandarin cream in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
