This is an excellent recipes which may end the search for a light and flavourful tart with a thick and creamy filling and paper thin crust! Serve slightly warm or cold. Be sure to also try Carolié’s easy Quick Baked Milk Tart, which is a crustless version of this South African favourite.
Quick Sweet Pie Crust
250 ml cake flour
1 ml salt
2,5 ml baking powder
30 ml sugar
80 g butter
1 large egg
Filling
200 ml cake flour
2 ml salt
1 liter milk
1 cinnamon stick
60 g butter
125 ml sugar
2.5 ml vanilla essence
4 large eggs, separated
5 ml baking powder
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C and grease a large pie dish (26 cm x 5 cm) or 28 cm x 3 cm or two smaller pie plates (22 cm x 2.5 cm with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place the ingredients for the crust in a bowl and mix by hand until a smooth, soft dough is formed.
- If using two small pie dishes, divide the pastry in half and press the pastry into the two smaller dishes. If using a medium or large pie dish, press the pastry onto the base and up the sides of the dish. Refrigerate the dish(es) while you prepare the filling.
- To make the filling, heat 750 ml of the milk with the cinnamon stick to boiling point.
- Mix the remainder of the milk with the cake flour to form a smooth paste.
- When the milk starts to boil,mix a little of the hot milk with the paste and return to the saucepan.
- Bring it to a boil over moderate heat while stirring with a wire whisk until a smooth thick sauce is obtained and simmer gently for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and beat in the salt, butter, sugar and flavouring.
- Beat the egg yolks, beat in a little of the hot sauce, return to the saucepan, mix well and allow to cool – do not cook any further, the eggs should cook and set in the oven.
- Beat in the baking powder.
- Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, add to the cooled sauce and mix gently until evenly blended.
- Divide the filling evenly between the two dishes or pour it into the medium or large dish. Do not overfill the dishes!
- Sprinkle with a little ground cinnamon.
- Bake the milk tart for about 12 minutes for the small pie dishes and 15 to 18 minutes for the large tart or until set, well-risen and a golden colour. It should not be completely set.
- Switch off the oven, place a wooden spoon in the oven door and leave the tart(s) in the oven for a further 10 minutes to cool and set gradually.
- Allow to cool and set before cutting into wedges.
Recipe by Carolié de Koster from the Art Of Cooking recipe book page 650.