South African Milk Tart (Melktert)
This traditional South African dessert is creamy and delicate. Make it for holidays and special occasions like dinner parties, Christmas and Easter, or enjoy it for dessert or at teatime any day of the week!
Servings 8 servings
Calories 499kcal
Ingredients
Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- pinch salt
Milk Tart Filling
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups milk whole
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9.5-inch pie dish and set aside.
- Cream the butter until pale and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until incorporated. Beat in the egg and almond extract until smooth, about 2 minutes. (A few lumps are okay.)12 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ cup sugar, 1 large egg, ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Stir in the flour and salt. Knead until a soft dough has formed. Chill for 10 minutes.2 cups all-purpose flour, pinch salt
- Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and layer it into a greased pie dish. (Alternatively, you can press the dough into the pie dish. Use the back of a spoon to even it out.)
- Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake blind for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove parchment and pie weights. If the bottom of the crust is not quite baked through, place back in the oven without the pie weights for a few minutes, or until golden. Allow crust to cool completely on a wire rack.
Milk Tart Filling
- In a heat proof bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt, eggs and vanilla extract. Set aside.½ cup sugar, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 pinch salt, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk and butter together, stirring until the butter is melted. Do not boil.4 cups milk, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Add about a fourth of the milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly to incorporate it evenly without cooking the eggs.
- Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the hot milk. Return to heat and stir constantly with a spatula until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon. The filling will be very thick and should run off the spoon in ribbons when lifted out of the pot. Again, do not boil.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust and let cool completely. Refrigerate 2-3 hours or until ready to serve. Sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Store the tart in the refrigerator and enjoy within 2-3 days.
Notes
Measurements: I used U.S. customary measurements for this recipe. However, you can change the recipe to Metric measurements by clicking the buttons under the ingredients.
Corn starch notes: Make sure you are using corn starch. If you're in the U.S., use Argo brand corn starch. If you're in South Africa, use Maizena. Do not use organic or tapioca starch (or any other kind of starch) or your milk tart may not set properly.
Pie plate: If you do not have a 9.5-inch pie plate, a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate or 10-inch tart pan work well.
Cooking tip: When making the filling, make sure to keep the pan over medium heat. You don’t want to let the filling boil! (However, a reader commented that hers boiled, and she still had success.)
Decorating with cinnamon: One of my favorite tips for presentation is placing a paper or cloth doily over the top of the milk tart before sprinkling on the cinnamon topping.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 499kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 230mg | Potassium: 257mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 871IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 182mg | Iron: 2mg
