Celebrating National Milk Tart Day
This Sunday South Africa will be celebrating National Milk Tart Day. Milk Tart is a South African classic with a sweet pastry crust and a custard filling, finished off by a dusting of cinnamon.
Makes 1 large tart
Ingredients
For the rich sweet pastry
- 120 g (250 ml) cake flour
- pinch salt
- 2 ml baking powder
- 30 ml sugar
- 75 g (75 ml) butter, softened
- 1 egg
- few drops of water, if necessary
For the custard filling
- 1 litre milk
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 90 g (175 ml) cake flour
- pinch salt
- 60 g (60 ml) butter
- 100 g (125 ml) sugar
- 5 ml vanilla essence
- 1 ml almond essence (optional)
- 4 eggs
- 5 ml baking powder
- ground cinnamon for sprinkling
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C. Generously grease a deep 26 cm pie dish, or a shallow 28 cm pie dish, or two 20 cm pie dishes.
- Place the ingredients for the crust into a bowl, and mix by hand to a smooth, soft dough. Press the dough into the pie dish very thinly - it should almost be transparent. Refrigerate while making the filling.
- To make the filling, heat 750 ml of the milk with the cinnamon stick to boiling point. Mix the remainder of the milk with the flour to a smooth paste. Mix a little of the hot milk into the paste; pour back into the saucepan.
- Bring to the boil, stirring with a whisk until smooth and thick. Simmer gently for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and beat in the salt, butter, sugar, vanilla and almond (if using) essences.
- Separate the eggs into separate bowls. Beat a little of the hot sauce into the yolks, then pour it back into the saucepan, and mix well. Allow to cool. Beat in the baking powder.
- Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add to the cooled sauce, and mix in gently, until evenly blended. Pour the filling into the pie dish to almost full. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon or cinnamon sugar.
- Place the tarts into the oven, reduce heat to 180°C, and bake for about 12 minutes (small tarts) or 15-18 minutes (larger tart), until risen and golden, but not completely set.
- Switch off the oven, partially open the door and leave the tarts in the oven for about 10 minutes more to cool and set gradually. (Optional: garnish with fresh berries)
Enjoy with a glass of De Grendel Cap Classique Brut.
