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Milk Tart

Prep Time: 

30 mins

Cooking Time:

30 mins

Servings:

8

Milk tart (or Melk Tert) is a South African dessert pie. A sweet pastry crust is filled with a custard filling and topped with a generous dusting of cinnamon. If you love custard-based pies, you will LOVE milk tart.

Instructions

Crust
1. Combine all the ingredients for the crust in a food processor and pulse until the dough comes together into a ball.
2. Transfer the dough to a pie plate and press into the base and up the sides in an even layer. Smooth and crimp the edges.
3. Place the pie plate into the freezer for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
4. When the dough has chilled, dock with a fork (to create small holes for air to escape). Line the pastry with parchment paper, add baking weights (raw beans or rice work well).
5. Place in the oven and allow the pastry to blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking weights and parchment paper and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

For the filling
1. To make the filling, heat the milk, cream, vanilla, almond extract and nutmeg in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, sugar, flours and salt.
3. Once the milk is hot, whisk two ladles full of the milk into the egg mixture to temper the eggs.
4. 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.
5. Pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve. Beat in the butter.
6. 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.
7. Place the milk tart in the fridge and allow to set for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight.
8. Before serving, dust the cinnamon over the milk tart. Slice and serve.

Ingredients

For the crust
1½ cups flour
1/3 cup icing / powdered sugar
½ cup cold butter cubed
1 egg yolk
1-2 tbsp ice water

For the filling
2 cups milk
½ cup heavy / whipping cream
5 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
2½ tbsp cornstarch / cornflour
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp salted butter (alternatively use unsalted butter and 1/2 tsp salt)
½ tsp almond extract
½ tsp vanilla extract
pinch of nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon

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