My Family Milk Tart

It seems every nation has their own version of a custard tart - the Portuguese have pasteis de nata, the British have their vanilla custard tarts, Italians their 'torta di nonna' and our South African milk tart sort of falls somewhere in the middle with it's cinnamon topping. No matter what part of the world you're from, it seems we're all unanimously in love with the combination of a creamy egg custard and a crisp pastry base. 

With heritage in mind, I knew there was only one place to go for a proper milk tart recipe in honour of National Milk Tart Day which is today! So I dug out my Great Aunt May's tattered recipe book (I've written about her before). There, right in the very front, was our family recipe for milk tart. There are no notes on where it came from, but I found the same recipe scribbled in the margins of my grandmothers book so I know it's a family favourite!   

The pastry is an interesting one - it contains oil, which is a little odd for me, but ensures a ridiculously crumbly pastry. From her other recipes, I can tell Great Aunt May loved a good shortcut, and this one is no exception. This pastry? It doesn't need to be blind baked! Yes, you read correctly. Can I get a hallelujah on that?! 'Cos if you've ever had to fuss with beans and baking paper and all that nonsense, you'll be rejoicing with me now!

The filling is lusciously velvety with just the slightest quiver - I prefer my milk tart a bit softer than most so if you like yours more set, then just increase the cornstarch. This recipe also makes the sweetest little mini milk tarts - I made these using an old-fashioned madeleine tin which belonged to my grandmother. It seemed totally appropriate for the occasion. 

My Family Milk Tart 

Recipe by Great Aunty May

Makes 1 large tart or 24 small tartlets

No-fuss pastry

110g butter, softened

2 tbsp (30ml) castor sugar

2 tbsp (30ml) vegetable oil

1 egg

2 cups (500ml) cake flour

1 tsp (5ml) baking powder

pinch of salt

Filling

600ml milk

2 tbsp (30ml) cornstarch/cornflour

1 tbsp (15ml) cake flour

4 tbsp (60ml) sugar

3 eggs, separated

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for dusting

Cream the butter and castor sugar until light and fluffy. Add the oil and egg and beat well. Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt to form a soft pastry. 

Press a thin layer of the pastry into a greased standard pie dish. Prick the bottom and bake at 180C for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool. 

For the filling, bring the milk to a boil (I added a cinnamon stick and bay leaf to mine). 

In the meantime, whisk together the cornstarch, flour, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla and cinnamon and a little of the milk to make a creamy paste. Pour the hot milk over the paste, whisking continuously then return to the heat and cook until thickened. 
Whisk the egg whites until stiff then whisk into the still-warm filling. 

Pour the mixture into the baked tart case and sprinkle with extra cinnamon. 

IF YOU LIKED THIS THEN YOU'LL LIKE:

Milk tart pancakes

Milk tart cake

Custard slices

Cherry almond pavlova pie

Confession time: The idea for this recipe is actually the result of me taking one of those silly online quizzes. They're stupid, but somehow, you can't resist because you simply HAVE to know, what kind of pie are you? I mean, how could you live life NOT knowing that. 

I'm a cherry pie. Apparently I'm 'the perfect combo of innocent and sexy' well now, I like the sound of that! If you'd like getting free compliments then you can find out what kind of pie you are here.

But back to baking. I love pie, but I despise soggy pastry - nobody likes a soggy bottom (snigger snigger!). Which is why I've got a pastry recipe for you that my special friend Zola shared with me. In her words 'This pastry has literally changed lives'. She's probably right (although I'm hoping she doesn't read this 'cos I'll never hear the end of it!). But this pastry doesn't need rolling out, it doesn't need blind baking and it doesn't need fussing with. How cool is that?! Fill the pastry with sticky-sweet cherries then top it with clouds of fluffy meringue and a sprinkling of almonds and you'll be swooning. The flavours are just incredible together, not to mention the fact that creating it really is easy as pie (sorry, couldn't resist!)

Photograph by Gunther Schubert of Vorsprung Studio

Almond and cherry pavlova pie

Serves 6-8

125g butter, softened

½ cup castor sugar

1 egg

2 cups cake flour

2 tsp baking powder

600g pitted cherries (fresh or frozen)

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ cup white sugar

2 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp almond liqueur or extract

4 egg whites, at room temperature

1 cup castor sugar

½ cup flaked almonds, to garnish

Fresh cherries, to garnish

Whipped cream, to serve (optional)

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until combined. Add the flour and baking powder to form a dough. Press into a greased 22cm pie dish and bake at 180C for 30 minutes or until golden and crisp.

Combine the cherries, lemon juice, cinnamon and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved. Mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp cold water then add to the cherry mixture. Cook, stirring for a few minutes until thickened. Stir in the almond flavouring. Spoon the slightly cooled cherry filling into the baked pastry case. Whisk the egg whites until soft peak stage then gradually add the sugar. Beat until stiff and the sugar is dissolved. Spoon or pipe the meringue onto the cherry filling, sprinkle with flaked almonds and bake at 190C until the meringue and almonds are golden brown. Serve with fresh cherries and whipped cream if desired.

Chocolate peanut butter mousse tart

DISCLAIMER: The below text and images are not for sensitive viewers. Content contains large amounts of fat, sugar, chocolate and decadence. Just looking at this recipe will most likely expand your waistline. You have been warned!

On Expresso Breakfast Show, I'm known for creating incredibly sweet and utterly indulgent recipes. Sometimes, so much so, that I almost feel guilty making such sugary delights so early in the morning. Almost.

Photography by Gunther Schubert of Vorsprung Studio

Because it's National Slipper Day today, I got thinking, what would I enjoy while wearing my favourite fluffy slippers? 

Well, chocolate of course, and peanut butter straight out the jar, or perhaps a slice of caramel cheesecake. So why not combine them all! This weekend, slip on your comfiest pair of slippers while whipping up this recipe, then put your feet up and tuck in to a slice or three! And if you needed some convincing? 

It is Friday after-all, so spoil yourself!

Photography by Gunther Schubert of Vorsprung Studio 

Chocolate peanut butter mousse tart
Serves 10-12

Chocolate pastry
¼ cup cocoa, plus extra for dusting
185g cake flour
125g Stork Bake, chilled and cubed
½ cup icing sugar
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp ice cold water 

Peanut butter mousse filling
1 cup chocolate spread
170g smooth cream cheese
¾ cup icing sugar
1 tsp salt
1 ¼ cups smooth peanut butter
1 tbsp vanilla
2 cups cream, whipped stiffly

To decorate
Chocolate spread, melted
Smooth peanut butter, melted
Caramel sauce (optional)
Chopped chocolate peanut butter bars
 
Place the cocoa, flour, margarine and icing sugar in a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Gradually add the egg yolks and water to form a dough.
Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll the pastry out to 3mm thick and line a 24cm loose-bottomed tart tin, trimming the edges and prick the base with a fork.
Refrigerate again for 30 minutes then bake blind* at 180C for 15 minutes, remove the paper and weights and bake for another 10-15 minutes until crisp. Allow to cool.
Spread the base with the chocolate spread.
Make the filling by beating the cream cheese, icing sugar and salt until fluffy then beat in the peanut butter and vanilla. Fold in the whipped cream gently and spoon into the chocolate crust.
Drizzle with melted chocolate spread, peanut butter, caramel and decorate with chopped chocolate bars.
 
*Baking blind refers to the process of placing baking paper inside the lined tart tin the filling the tart with baking beads, beans or rice to weigh it down and prevent the pastry from puffing up.

Lemon ginger tarts with meringue ice cream

Did you know that there are 55 uses for a lemon? Well, 56 if you count eating it, which is obviously, my favourite use of all. But turn the lemon into these good-looking tarts and now we’re talking! Along with the zesty zing of our over-achieving citrus friend, I've added a generous dash of ginger lemongrass cordial to this tart (because it was sitting around in my cupboard and I had to use it up), which I thought was a rather clever way of using this it - if I do say so myself. This recipe is a bit of a challenge so if you’re of the school of thought that believe life is too short to make your own pastry or ice cream, then by all means go the store-bought route (I won’t judge you, promise.)

Lemon ginger lemongrass tarts with meringue ice cream

Serves 8-10

Meringue ice cream

250ml double cream

150ml cream

3-4T castor sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

4-5 meringues, crumbled

Shortcrust pastry

225g cake flour

125g cold butter, chopped

½ cup icing sugar, sifted

3 egg yolks

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp ice cold water

Lemon filling

1 cup cream

2 eggs

3 yolks

½ cup ginger lemongrass cordial, plus extra for serving

¼ cup castor sugar

¼ cup lemon juice

Begin by making the ice cream, whisk the creams together with the sugar until just combined and the mixture just holds its shape (careful not to over mix or the ice cream will be grainy and buttery). 

Stir in the crushed meringues and freeze until firm.

For the pastry, place the flour, butter and icing sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process in short bursts until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. While the motor is running, add the egg yolk and vanilla. Add the iced water and process until the dough just comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and bring together to form a ball. Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 180ºC. Roll the pastry out to 3mm thick. Line 8-10 lightly greased loose-bottomed small tart tins with the pastry. Trim the edges and prick the base with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Bake the pastry blind: line the pastry case with non-stick baking paper, fill with baking weights or beans and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and the weights and bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool.

To make the filling, whisk all the ingredients together until combined. 

Pour into the blind-baked pastry cases and bake at 140ºC for 30 minutes or until the filling is just set. 

Allow to cool completely then refrigerate until chilled. Serve the tarts drizzled with cordial and with a scoop of ice cream.

TIP I topped the tarts with fancy-looking candied orange twirls that you can buy at a tuisnywerhuid (local baking shop) but orange and lemon slices simmered in the ginger lemongrass cordial until soft and syrupy would also work like a charm.