Clementine custard tarts

• clementines↗6

  3 zested, whole juice (about 240 ml needed)

• sheet of ready-made puff pastry↗320g g
• plain flour↗

  for dusting

• eggs↗2

  plus 3 yolks (keep extra whites frozen for meringues)

• cornstarch2 tbsp tbsp
• granulated sugar↗2 tbsp tbsp
• whole milk↗450ml ml
• powdered sugar↗

  for dusting (optional)

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 200 °C/180 °C with convection/gas 6. Bring the clementine juice to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the volume reduces to about 50 ml (may take up to 20 minutes). Let cool.

2. 2

   Roll out the puff pastry. Sprinkle it with two thirds of the clementine zest. Roll the pastry into a tight spiral, starting from one of the short edges, then cut lengthwise into 2 cm pieces, obtaining 12 equal circles. On a lightly floured surface, roll each circle to about 10 cm diameter. Place the circles into the wells of a 12‑cup muffin tin. Chill in the refrigerator until use.

3. 3

   In a saucepan, whisk together the eggs, yolks, cornstarch, sugar, reduced clementine juice and the remaining zest with a whisk. Gradually add the milk while whisking constantly until the mixture is smooth, then heat over low‑medium heat until it thickens and begins to boil, about 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat, pour into a jug and let cool for a few minutes, whisking occasionally to prevent a skin forming.

4. 4

   Fill each pastry shell with custard almost to the top. Bake for 18–22 minutes until the bases turn golden and the cream lightly browns on top. Let fully cool in the tin. Optionally dust with powdered sugar before serving.