Traditional South African Milk Tart – Marsay Family Favourite
A sweet pastry Crust, with a perfectly balanced creamy, milky cinnamon infused custard, makes this Milk Tart a favourite dessert to serve in many South African homes.
Often referred to as ‘MELKTERT’, which is Afrikaans for Milk Tart, this classic and traditional dessert has it’s origins stemming from Dutch settlers in Cape Town, way back in the 1600’s. For the last 4-5 years, Milk Tart, has gained popularity far and wide, with even Jamie Oliver once making this dessert trend on Instagram. Yay for us in South Africa, the 27th of FEBRUARY, has been declared as NATIONAL MILK TART DAY. But hey, we South Africans don’t need a particular day to enjoy this age old, proudly South African sweet treat. Milk Tart is present in almost any supermarket, Food Stalls, Market day sales and home industry initiatives. You will find that there are loads of different variations to milk tart, and I now join many food bloggers, to document my family favourite recipe too.
So since my better half, Imran, and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary just yesterday, I decided to treat him to something sweet. Who doesn’t enjoy the start of the week that been sweetened so lovingly 😉. The ratio of milk to eggs in milk tart, is higher, thus giving the milk tart custard a more ‘milky’ taste, than a regular custard. Made using everyday ingredients from your pantry, like eggs, flour, milk, cinnamon, cornflour and sugar, you too can be whipping up this version of milk tart, in a jiffy.
I do often get queries about traditional South African Foods or Flavours, from my International readers, and This Milk Tart, most definitely is a CLASSIC/TRADITIONAL South African dessert.
Have You Tried This creamy , milky dessert before??? What are favourite South African dessert/sweet treats that you enjoy? Do drop me a comment below, I love hearing from you. Do give this Simple and Delicious recipe a try, and I’m sure it will soon become your family favourite too.
Happy Milk Tart Making Lovelies
LOVE Marriam
Traditional South African Milk Tart - Marsay Family Favourite
Sugar Cookie Base (Pastry Base)
(@foodeva_marsay), ©www.marriamsayed.com
Ingredients
1/2 Cup Castor Sugar
125 grams Butter
1 Extra Large Egg (or a Large Egg)
Good Pinch of Pink Himalayan Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence/Extract
2 Cups All- Purpose Flour
2 teaspoon Baking Powder
Instructions
~ Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
~ Cream together the Butter and Castor Sugar, then beat in the egg, vanilla essence and salt
~ Make a soft biscuit dough with the dry Ingredients.
~ You may rest the dough at this stage, if you prefer.
~ Press the Dough into a large, well greased Tart Pan, or using smaller amounts of dough, press into mini tartlet pans.
~ Prick the surface a few times, with a fork. Blind Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until the pastry is lightly golden.
~ Allow the pastry base to cool well, before adding in the filling.
NOTE by FOODEVA MARSAY
You can use this sweet pastry base for any tarts.
Traditional Milk Tart Filling
(@foodeva_marsay), ©www.marriamsayed.com
Ingredients
2 and 1/2 Cups Milk
2 Extra Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Castor Sugar
4 Tablespoon Corn Flour (maizena) + 1/4 cup milk to make a slurry
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Essence/extract OR Vanilla Pod.
Small Cinnamon Stick
1 Tablespoon Butter
Cinnamon Powder, For Dusting
Instructions
~ Make a slurry of the corn flour, using the 1/4 cup milk
~ Whisk together well, the Eggs, Castor Sugar, as well as the Corn Flour Slurry.
~ Warm the Milk on Stove Top, infusing with the cinnamon stick and vanilla essence/extract/pod, until just before boiling. When warmed, remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla pod(if using)
~ Temper the Egg/Cornflour Mix, by adding a little of the warmed milk to it, and then returning it to the larger batch of warmed milk.
~ Using a Balloon whisk, Whisk as you add in the egg/corn flour slurry, to prevent it clumping up.
~ Allow the milky custard to cook, until smooth and thick in consistency.
~ Remove from stove top, and cool slightly, Follow by whisking in the 1 Tablespoon Butter and a dash of Cinnamon Powder into the prepared milky custard filling, until well combined.
~ Pour the Milky Custard Filling into the prepared Sweet Cookie Pastry Base, Allow to cool slightly so it forms a crust, and sprinkle the top of the tart with more cinnamon powder.
~ Allow to set and chill in the refrigerator overnight, for best results.
*Kindly Share My Recipes as Posted, ©www.marriamsayed.com*
NOTES BY FOODEVA MARSAY (@foodeva__marsay)
> To blind bake, add a layer of Baking beans/rice onto a baking paper, placed onto the pastry base.
> If you prefer not to Blind bake, that is fine too, Simply Press the pastry in to form a proper well indentation, after it is baked, using a pastry mould press, as the pastry will rise during baking.
> If your Custard becomes lumpy, use a sieve to press away those lumps or beat well.
> allowing the Milk tarts to sit longer in the refrigerator, ensure that the moisture is adequately absorbed by the pastry, making it slightly softer and easier to dig into.
> This Milk Tart Filling can be used as a topping/filling in any other sweet treats as well, like pancakes, cakes or cupcakes…YUMMMM
To make a Patterned, Numbered, or Alphabet Shaped pastry, I simply Rolled the dough using more flour for dusting, and placed onto a flat baking sheet. It is easier to cut out the sweet cookie biscuit, whilst the dough is on the baking sheet.
>> Place your Cut out Template of a shape, number or alphabet, onto the biscuit dough, and carefully cut out the dough.
>> Remove Excess dough as you go along, and bake this the same way as mentioned, until lightly golden.
>> Carefully remove shaped biscuits, and allow to cool properly.
>> To fill with milk tart filling, it is advisable to make the filling a day before and allow to cool and set a bit in the refrigerator, before attempting to pipe it onto the shaped biscuit bases. You can also add Gelatine to the filling for a firmer finish. Decorate as desired. Allow to further set in the refrigerator before serving.
