Recipe for making Melktert

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

1. 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

1. 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.
2. Whisk the flours and egg yolks with the sugar then ladle in some of the hot milk mixture and whisk to temper the eggs.
3. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook whilst whisking until the custard is thick, smooth and cooked through.
4. Pass the custard through a fine mesh sieve to make sure there are no lumps or bits of coagulated egg.
5. 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

1. 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.
2. Place the tart in the fridge and allow to set for at least 4 hours but overnight is even better.
3. Once you are ready to serve, dust the top of the tart with a generous amount of cinnamon then slice and serve.