A Jewel in a Moroccan Crown: Orange- and Mint-Infused Crème Pâtissière

ThermoHubby John likes to use the Thermomix to unleash his creativity. The other day we picked some fresh and beautiful red currants from the bush in the backyard and John created a subtly tasty dessert.  I have been avoiding gluten lately so we made a gluten-free crust for it. John’s inspiration for the flavours was vaguely Moroccan, and the red currants looked like little red rubies on the tart, so I likened this dessert to The Jewel in the Crown – a Moroccan crown!

Our Jewel in a Moroccan Crown is composed of three elements: a gluten-free crust (a regular sweet pastry would be just as perfect); an orange and mint infused crème pâtissière filling; and a fresh fruit topping where we chose to use red currants. Make your crust and bake it. While the crust is baking, make your crème pâtissière. Once it has cooled in the pastry case, add your fresh fruit topping and enjoy!

Our gluten-free crust was made with almonds and coconut oil but we either left out an ingredient or it needed an egg to bind it, because it was completely crumbly and fell apart as we lifted each piece out of the pie tin. I will work on the recipe and post it when I’m happy.

Making crème pâtissière is normally a relatively long and tedious job involving constant stirring, a double boiler and lots of time. With Thermomix, it’s fast and easy!

ThermoHubby John’s Orange- and Mint-Infused Crème Pâtissière

Ingredients
thinly peeled zest of an orange
100 g sugar
a handful of fresh mint leaves
500 g milk
40 g cornflour
2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
1 tsp villa extract

Method 1 (if you’re in a huge hurry)

1. Add orange zest and weigh sugar into Thermomix bowl. Grind 15 seconds/Speed 8. Scrape bowl with spatula.
2. Add remaining ingredients and cook 90° C/7 minutes/Speed 4.
3. Remove mint leaves and discard. Mix 10 seconds/Speed 9 to get a smooth finish. Pour immediately into your baked tart shell or pastry case.

Method 2 (if you have five minutes to spare)

1. Weigh milk into TM bowl. Add mint leaves and grated orange zest. Heat 80° C/5 minutes/Reverse Blade Function/Speed Spoon. Remove and discard mint leaves.
2. Add remaining ingredients and cook 90° C/5 minutes/Speed 4.
3. Mix 10 seconds/Speed 9 to get a smooth finish. Pour immediately into your baked tart shell or pastry case.

Bon appétit !

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