Clementine tart with Italian meringue and caramelised macadamias

To begin, make the pastry. Cream together the butter and sugar very lightly – do not over-mix, or you will add too much air to the pastry

Gradually add the eggs, mixing well between each addition. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl so that all the ingredients are uniformly mixed

Add the flour and salt and mix until you have a combined dough. Flatten out slightly then rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes

Scatter a light dusting of flour on your work surface, remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out to a thickness of 3–4mm, rotating regularly to ensure the pastry does not shrink in an uneven fashion

Trim the pastry into a disc slightly larger than the tart tin, taking care not to over-trim which requires tricky patching up. This will make it easier to line the case and minimise the risk of tearing

Spray the inside of a 20cm pastry ring with baking spray, then very lightly dust with an even layer of flour

Lightly spray a baking sheet and lightly dust with flour. Place the pastry ring on top

Roll the pastry round the rolling pin and drape over the pastry ring. Gently mould the pastry into the ring

Roll some of the pastry trimmings into a ball and use to gently press around the edges of the tart base for a nice even finish. Make sure the pastry is flush against the case all the way around

Run a knife round the edge of the ring to cut away any excess pastry. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to chill

Preheat the oven to 210°C/gas mark 7

When the pastry has chilled, prepare a blind baking mixture. You can use baking beads, rice, or even flour for this. Line the tart base with heatproof cling film with plenty overhanging the edges of the tart. Fill the tart with baking beads, rice or flour, and gently bring the overhanging cling film over the top to encase the filling

Blind bake the tart case until the edges start to turn a light brown colour. Turn the oven down to 195°C/gas mark 5 and cook for a further 15 minutes, until the case is a nice rich golden colour

Remove from the oven, remove the blind baking mixture and lightly brush all over with beaten egg yolk. Return to the oven for 2 more minutes to seal – this stops the filling soaking into the pastry during cooking

Remove from the oven, and allow to cool completely before filling

Preheat the oven to 140°C/gas mark 1

To make the filling, whisk together the eggs and sugar until creamy – it’s important that you whisk as soon as the eggs hit the sugar, or the acidity of the sugar will start to ‘cook’ the eggs and they will become slightly lumpy

Whisk in the clementine juice

Add the cream, then grate the zest of one of the clementines into the mixture and whisk. Allow to chill in the fridge for a few hours

Remove the filling from the fridge and lightly whisk to combine, as the mixture will have separated. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir occasionally, gently heating the mixture until it reaches 60°C. If you don’t have a temperature probe, it should be warm to the touch but not too hot

Take your blind-baked tart case and grate zest from the remaining clementines over the base. The essential oils in the zest will be released as the tart heats and impart a wonderfully aromatic flavour

Transfer the filling mixture to a measuring jug. Half-fill the tart, then place the tart case on a baking tray on the oven shelf, and pour in the rest of the filling. Make sure you fill right to the top of the case

Use a blowtorch to quickly go back and forth over the mix and remove any air bubbles on the surface

Bake for 25–30 minutes until the tart starts to set but still has a slight wobble. It may require an additional 5–10 minutes. If you undercook the tart, it won’t set. Overcook, and the mixture will split

Gently remove the tart from the oven – it should have a slight wobble. Allow to gradually cool to room temperature; if you try to cool it quickly in the fridge, it might crack

While the tart is setting, make the decorations for your tart

For the Italian meringue, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and place on a medium-high heat. Bring to the boil and using a sugar thermometer, bring to 121°C

Just before the sugar reaches the desired temperature, place the egg whites in a food mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk on a low speed until they begin to form soft peaks

Increase the speed slightly and slowly pour the hot sugar mixture into mixer. Increase the speed to full until the outside of the bowl is lukewarm to the touch. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a wide nozzle. Keep in the fridge until ready to pipe

For the caramelised macadamias, mix together the sugar and water in a pan to form a mixture with a similar consistency to wet sand. Place over a moderate heat and shake the pan while the sugar starts to dissolve, continuously moving the pan so the sugar keeps re-crystallising as the water evaporates

Add the macadamias to the pan and toss to coat in the sugar mixture. Once the sugar looks to be drying and crystallising around the nuts, continue to stir until a caramel starts to form. As soon as it turns dark and golden in colour, add the butter and stir until all the nuts are evenly coated

Remove from the heat and tip out onto a piece of greaseproof paper to cool

Place the clementine segments on a heatproof surface and sprinkle evenly with icing sugar. Use a blowtorch to lightly caramelise and blacken the surface of each segment. Allow to cool

Remove the tart from the fridge and gently remove the pastry ring. Use two step palette knives to gently slide the tart off the base and onto a board

Pipe the Italian meringue onto the tart

Lightly blowtorch the meringue for a wonderful golden finish

Roughly chop the caramelised macadamias

Garnish with caramelised macadamias and clementine segments and serve