South African Milk Tart Or Melk Tert
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 30 minutes plus 30 minutes freezing time
Cooking time: 45 minutes
For pastry
- 1.5 cups plain all purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch fine salt
- 1/3 cup caster or superfine sugar
- 80g/2.82ozs. butter, softened
- 1 small egg
For filling
- 625ml/22ozs. full cream Milk
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup caster or superfine sugar
- 2.5 tablespoons plain all purpose flour
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 egg whites
-
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
-
3 teaspoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Step 1 - Measure the flour, baking powder and salt in a jug and whisk until combined. Cream butter and sugar together with a beater attachment until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the egg and beat until thoroughly incorporated. By hand add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Step 2 - Press the dough into a 25cm/10inch tart plate with a removable base. Make sure that it isn't too thick and dock with a fork. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 200C/400F and when ready bake the base for 15 minutes or until golden and cooked through. You don't need to weight this down if you freeze the pastry. The pastry can be baked 1-2 days in advance and covered well and placed in an airtight container or box.
Step 3 - Scald 500ml or 2 cups of the milk with the butter and cinnamon stick. In a separate jug whisk the remaining 125ml or 1/2 cup of milk with the sugar, flour, egg yolks, egg whites and vanilla. Slowly pour this into the scalded milk mix and heat on low and make a thick custard. Strain the custard to remove any strands of egg yolk and white and the cinnamon stick.
Step 4 - Preheat oven to 160C/320F. Pour the custard into the pastry tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until wobbly and not runny. Allow to cool completely and then refrigerate. Before serving mix the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and sprinkle over the top and then add the finely grated lemon zest.