Melktert is a traditional South African pie normally eaten for dessert
This sweet pastry crust with a filling like custard tart, Melktert, means “milk tart.” The difference between custard tart and melkert filling is it needs a more delicate consistency. South African Milk Tarts are luscious and creamy, and the best ones are topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon. This South African favourite dessert, is a wonderfully rich custard tart that can be made with everyday ingredients you will find in your cupboards.
Here is a way of making the traditional melktert
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon of flour.
- 2 tablespoon of cold butter.
- 2.5 tablespoon of cornstarch
- 2 cups milk of whole milk or full fat milk
- 2 tablespoon of sugar.
- ½ cup heavy / whipping cream
- 5 egg yolks
- 1/2 table spoon of almond extract.
- 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
- Pinch of Nutmeg.
- 2 tablespoon of cinnamon.
Procedure
Making the Crust
- Press the dough into the pie plate before freezing and then blind baking until golden brown and crisp. You can substitute with a cookie crust or use any pie dough recipe you like.
Making the filling
- Milk tart filling starts with milk (use whole/full fat milk), cream and flavorings being heated together. To thicken and set the filling, you can use a combination of egg yolks, cornstarch and flour.
- Whisk the flours and egg yolks with the sugar then ladle in some of the hot milk mixture and whisk to temper the eggs.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook whilst whisking until the custard is thick, smooth and cooked through.
- Pass the custard through a fine mesh sieve to make sure there are no lumps or bits of coagulated egg.
- Beat room temperature butter into the custard (this adds extra silky richness to the finished tart) and pour the custard into the baked crust.
To set the dish
- Smooth the top of the tart out by spraying a piece of parchment paper with cooking spray and pressing it onto the surface of the custard. This allows you to smooth the top but also prevents a skin from forming.
- Place the tart in the fridge and allow to set for at least 4 hours but overnight is even better.
- Once you are ready to serve, dust the top of the tart with a generous amount of cinnamon then slice and serve.