Traditional Melktert Recipes

SOUTH AFRICAN MILK TART

Steps:

• Cream the butter and add the sugar. Beat in the egg and almond extract. Stir in the flour and salt. Knead until a soft dough has formed. Chill for 10 minutes.
• Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and layer it into a greased pie dish. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and fill the void with pie weights. Bake blind at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove parchment and pie weights. Allow crust to cool completely on a wire rack.
• In a heat proof bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, flour and vanilla. Set aside.
• In a medium size saucepan, heat the milk and butter at medium setting. Do not bring to a rolling boil.
• Add about a fourth of the milk to the egg mixture, whisking to incorporate it evenly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the remainder of the milk. Return to heat and stir constantly until it thickens. Do not boil!
• Pour the filling into the pie crust and let cool completely. Refrigerate until serving. Sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.

SOUTH AFRICAN MELKTERT (MILKTART)

Steps:

• Heat 3 cups of milk to boiling point.
• Mix remaining milk, flour, sugar, extracts, salt and egg yolks together and add to hot milk.
• Cook until very thick and remove from stove.
• Whisk egg whites to stiff peak stage and add to milk mixture after it has been off the stove for 5 minutes.
• Stir in margarine and pour mixture into ready-made pie shells.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon.
• Refrigerate to cool and set.

SOUTH AFRICAN MELKTERT (MILK TART)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Coat a 9 inch deep dish pie plate with vegetable oil cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg yolks and beat until light and fluffy. Sift in the cake flour, baking powder and salt, and stir until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and milk. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks using an electric mixer. Fold into the batter. Pour into the prepared pie plate, and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top.
• Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Continue to bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the center is set when you gently jiggle the pie. Serve hot or cold.

TRADITIONAL MELKTERT

Steps:

• METHOD.
• First bake the pastry base, and allow it to cool. If the base is filled before it is cool, it will go soggy.
• PASTRY BASE.
• Mix the butter and sugar vigorously until it is light in colour. It does not have to be smooth, the grainy texture of the sugar helps the crust to be more like biscuit than cake.
• Add the egg and beat well.
• Add the flour and beat until well blended and smooth.
• Press into a spring-form cake tin or loose-bottom tin, making sure that the pastry comes at least 4cms (1 1/2 inches) up the side of the tin.
• Bake at 180degC for 25mins. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• FILLING.
• Put the milk, cinnamon stick, vanilla pod and butter into a saucepan and scald. (bring almost to the boil before removing from the heat.) Turn off the heat and allow the saucepan to remain on the hot stove plate for the cinnamon and vanilla flavours to steep.
• Meanwhile, put the honey (or sugar) and eggs into a bowl and whisk vigorously, adding small amounts of the flours until you have a smooth and well-blended consistency.
• Strain the hot milk, and pour onto the sugar and egg mixture while beating until all the ingredients are well blended.
• Return to the saucepan, and simmer over a low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or wire whisk until the mixture is thick and creamy, taking care that it does not stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared and cooled pastry case, (which should still be in the tin), sprinkle lightly with ground cinnamon, and refrigerate until cold and set.

MILK TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium mixing bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter or margarine and 1 cup sugar. Add 1 egg and beat until mixture is smooth. In a separate bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture just until ingredients are thoroughly combined. Press mixture into bottom and sides of two 9-inch pie pans.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.
• In a large saucepan, combine milk, vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon butter or margarine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then remove from burner.
• In a separate bowl, mix together 2 1/2 tablespoons flour, cornstarch, and 1/2 cup sugar. Add beaten eggs to sugar mixture and whisk until smooth. Slowly whisk mixture into milk. Return pan to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 5 minutes. Pour half of mixture into each pastry shell. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Chill before serving.