SA Recipes milk tart

Making milk tart !

Origin story:

Rumour has it: Milk Tart is essentially a custard tart (with cinnamon) inside a pastry base which can be eaten warm or cold. It was derived from a recipe brought over by the Dutch settlers in the 1600’s.

The Cape Malay folks (creators of Bobotie) adapted the recipe and added some spices. Melktert is a dessert that was first made by Dutch settlers in the Cape in the early 1600s.

Cinnamon was also introduced to Dutch settlers by the Japanese.

Ingredients :

What do you need ?

Pastry Crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
35 grams powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
125 grams unsalted butter
1 large egg yolk

Milk Tart filling:

500 ml milk
30 grams butter
20 grams flour
30 grams cornstarch
100 grams sugar
2 Large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

How is it made?

Butter a 9-inch baking pan with a removable bottom and set aside for later. Place flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor, then pulse for a couple of times to mix ingredients. Add in butter and pulse until rough dough forms. Then add the egg yolk and pulse a few more times.

Remove dough and place on a work surface – knead just enough to incorporate all the dough, working the dough as little as possible. When it’s ready, the dough will be barely moistened and come together into a ball. Lightly press the dough on the baking pan, working from the center up until the bottom and sides are fully covered with pastry.

Place the baking pan in the freezer and freeze for at least 30 minutes or more as this helps prevent the dough from rising. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.

Bake crust for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the crust is dry and golden browned, then set aside.

Milk Filling:

Place a saucepan over medium heat, add butter, nutmeg, and milk. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. In another bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract, whisk in the eggs until smooth. Gently whisk into the saucepan making sure there are no lumps.

Now return the pan back on the stove – keep stirring constantly until in starts to bubble. Cook for about 5-6 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour mixture into the baked pastry shell and sprinkle with cinnamon. Chill until ready.

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