Melktert, South African milk and egg custard tart

Name: Melktert, South African milk and egg custard tart
Ingredients: 250 g flour; 15 g flour for the work surface and tin; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 75 g sugar; 125 g soft butter; 1 egg; 5 ml vanilla extract; 5 g butter for the tin; 750 ml milk; 15 g butter; 5 ml vanilla extract; 2 eggs; 45 g sugar; 25 g flour; 25 g cornstarch; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dessert - Melktert, South African milk and egg custard tart by Anghelina D. - Recipia

Melktert, the South African milk and egg custard tart, spends another 30 minutes in the oven after the custard thickens on the stove. The shortcrust pastry holds a soft filling, with the milk taking center stage and cinnamon sprinkled on top; the texture is reminiscent of flan. I use whole milk for this custard. Preparation: 30 minutes. Cooking: 58 minutes. Resting: 300 minutes. Total time: 388 minutes. Serves: 8. Approximately 420 kcal and 9 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the pastry

250 g flour
15 g flour for the work surface and tin
1/4 teaspoon salt
75 g sugar
125 g soft butter
1 egg
5 ml vanilla extract
5 g butter for the tin

For the milk custard

750 ml milk
15 g butter
5 ml vanilla extract
2 eggs
45 g sugar
25 g flour
25 g cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation

1. Mix 250 g flour with the salt and sugar for the pastry. Work in 125 g soft butter, cut into pieces, then add the egg and 5 ml vanilla extract; mix until the dough comes together. 2. Flatten the dough with your palm, wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 3. Heat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 24 cm tart tin with 5 g butter and dust it with 15 g flour. Roll the dough out thinly on a lightly floured work surface, place it in the tin, trim the excess and prick it with a fork. Cover with baking paper and top with dried beans. 4. Bake the pastry case for 15 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove the paper and beans. 5. Heat the milk with 15 g butter and 5 ml vanilla extract for about 8 minutes, until it begins to boil. 6. Mix 25 g flour and the cornstarch with the 2 eggs and the sugar for the custard. Gradually pour the hot milk over the mixture, whisking continuously. 7. Return the custard to medium heat and stir for 5 minutes, until it thickens and leaves visible trails on the whisk. Leave it for 30 minutes, until lukewarm. 8. Pour the custard into the baked pastry case and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake the tart for 30 minutes at 180°C, until the custard is lightly browned on top. 9. Leave it to cool for 60 minutes, then refrigerate for 3 hours. Serve cold.

Notes

For a gluten-free version, replace the 250 g flour in the pastry and the 25 g in the custard with gluten-free baking mix, in the same quantities; the tart contains milk, butter and eggs. Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. A slice goes well with black tea. I mixed up the two methods and combined the pastry case, baked separately, with the cooked custard, then baked the whole tart again. Don’t rush rolling it out: cold dough is easier to work with, and if it softens, put it back in the fridge.