South African Milk Tart Traditional Recipes

TRADITIONAL SOUTH AFRICAN MILK TART (MELKTERT)

Steps:

• For the pastry, pulse the butter, flour and sugar in a food processor until it has the consistency of breadcrumbs. Alternately, rub in the cold butter with two knives or a pastry cutter. Try not to use your hands as it will warm up the butter.
• Add the egg and water and mix until just combined.
• Bring the pastry into a ball and flatten into a disk on a piece of cling wrap. This makes it easier to roll into a round shape later.
• Chill and rest the pastry for about 30 minutes before use.
• Roll out the pastry and line a 25 cm tart pan ensuring that the pastry overlaps the sides a bit as it may shrink during baking if not rested enough. I chilled it again for another 10 minutes before baking.
• Switch on the oven and heat to 200 degrees celcius / 400 F / Gas mark 6.
• Prick the base and line with parchment paper and baking beans or beans, and bake blind for about 10 minutes.
• Remove the baking beans and bake for another five minutes. Be careful not to get a burn as you may drop the beans and damage the tart case.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 170 degrees celcius / 350 F / Gas mark 4.
• Cook the filling while the pastry base is baking in the oven.
• In a medium size bowl mix the butter and flour ensuring there are no lumps. Add in the condensed milk, vanilla and the egg yolks and mix until smooth.
• Heat the milk until it reaches boiling point stirring occasionally with a flat edged wooden spoon to prevent it catching and burning on the bottom of the pot.
• Add a little of the boiled milk to the egg mixture ensuring that you whisk out all the lumps. Slowly add the rest of the milk while whisking or stirring and then return to the pot and place back on the heat.
• Stir the milk mixture on the heat until it thickens and it starts to bubble.
• Remove the pot from the stove and let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes.
• Whisk the egg whites and salt until they are glossy but not too stiff. It should be soft peaks at this stage, not the 'tip it over your head and it doesn't drop' stiffness.
• Fold the egg whites into the cooled custard mixture.
• Pour into the pastry case and bake for 15-20 minutes until it is set. Do not over bake as it will rise and sink like an overdone souffle.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon powder and serve.

SOUTH AFRICAN MILK TART

Steps:

• Make the pastry according to recipe instructions then blind bake until golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• To make the filling, heat the milk, cream, vanilla, almond extract and nutmeg in a saucepan over medium heat.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, sugar, flours and salt.
• Once the milk is hot, whisk two ladles full of the milk into the egg mixture to temper the eggs.
• Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook until thickened, whisking continuously. Cook the custard for 2-3 minutes until thick and smooth.
• Pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve. Beat in the butter.
• Pour the custard into the prepared crust. Spray a piece of parchment paper with cooking spray then press onto the surface of the custard to avoid a skin from forming.
• Place the milk tart in the fridge and allow to set for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight.
• Before serving, dust the cinnamon over the milk tart. Slice and serve.

SOUTH AFRICAN MELKTERT (MILK TART)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Coat a 9 inch deep dish pie plate with vegetable oil cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg yolks and beat until light and fluffy. Sift in the cake flour, baking powder and salt, and stir until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and milk. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks using an electric mixer. Fold into the batter. Pour into the prepared pie plate, and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top.
• Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Continue to bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the center is set when you gently jiggle the pie. Serve hot or cold.