Sweet Chestnut and Clementine Pizza

For the chestnut custard, pour the milk into a saucepan along with ¼ of the vanilla bean seeds. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

In a medium heat-safe bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks together, then whisk the cornstarch in.

Next, pour the hot milk over the egg mixture – be sure to add small amounts at a time so as not to cook the egg yolks. Then add it all back into the saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently (the texture should thicken). 

Once the pastry cream is cooked, add the butter, chestnut spread and double cold cream to the mixture.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool down, then cover it with plastic wrap to seal and keep air from getting in – this prevents condensation and a film from forming on the surface. Let it cool for 10 minutes then set it in your refrigerator for about 3 hours. Once cooled, whisk until smooth, then fill a piping bag with the mixture.

For the clementine marmalade, prick the orange and clementines multiple times with a fork or the tip of a knife, then blanch 3 times.

Tip: blanching helps take the bitterness out of the fruit while preserving the bright color. Start with a saucepan of cold water, then add the orange and clementines and boil for 30 seconds. Remove the fruit, change the water then repeat 2 more times.

Once cooled, peel, section and seed one clementine and set it aside for later – this will be used to top the pizza after it’s cooked. Cut (but don’t peel) the remaining clementines and orange into quarters, remove the seeds and cut the quarters into thin slices.

Place the clementines and orange pieces into a blender and blend finely, then add the sugar, ½ vanilla pod seeds and lemon juice.

Blend multiple times until you get a marmalade-like consistency and smooth texture.

Tip: If you haven’t achieved a smooth texture on the first blend, put the fruit mixture back in a saucepan over medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until a thicker, softer consistency has been achieved. Put the mixture back into the blender and blend until you get a smooth, marmalade-like texture.

Let cool, then fill a piping bag with the mixture and set it in the refrigerator.

For the praline, add the water, sugar and vanilla pod seeds in a medium saucepan and cook on medium heat at 230°F (110°C) – use a thermometer to check the temperature to avoid burning the caramelized sugar. Next, stir in the almonds and mix until the sugar crystalizes and coats the almonds. 

Once the mixture has crystallized, leave it on medium heat until it turns a darker, more caramelized color. 

Next, remove the mixture from the heat and pour it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let cool to room temperature. 

While the mixture cools, fire up your Ooni oven to 626°F (330°C) – use an infrared thermometer to check the temperature to get the most accurate reading.

Add fleur de sel to your praline, place in the blender and mix until it becomes thicker, then pour it into a piping bag and set aside.

Lightly flour a work surface with the durum wheat semolina, then roll out your pizza dough. Fold the dough over itself in the shape of a half moon, then place on a lightly floured pizza peel. 

Once your oven has reached 626°F (330°C), launch the dough into your oven and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, rotating the pizza every 20 seconds to ensure an even cook.

Immediately after you take the pizza out of the oven, slice open the half moon shape and pipe ¼ of the chestnut custard and praline mixtures onto the dough in a smooth, back and forth motion.

Fold the pizza over into a half moon again; then, with ¼ of each mixture in the piping bags, draw more lines over the top of the pie, interspersing them as evenly as possible. 

Tip: Manon suggests piping in this order: chestnut spread, chestnut custard, almond praline and marmalade. 

Finish off your dessert with a few pieces of clementine sections, marron glacé, sliced almonds and lemon basil leaves. Slice, serve and enjoy if you have any leftover spread, save it in a glass jar and spread over toast for a tasty snack!