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Celebrate Milk Tart Day by spoiling yourself

Support Milk Tart Day and you are supporting the SPCA

The Milk Tart or Melktert, as it is called in Afrikaans, is a dessert loved by many South Africans, so much so that it needed it’s own special day.
Traditionally described as a shortbread crust with a milky filling, this classic dish is said to come from the Dutch in the 1600s.
In Dundee, Pieter Bester of The Guinea Fowls and his staff are hard at work producing milk tarts – the good news is that a portion of the sale of the tarts will go towards the SPCA.
Thuli of The Guinea Fowl hard at work producing tasty milk tarts
Pop in and by one or if you are feeling adventurous here is a recipe.
Ingredients for the Biscuit Base

200g soft to the touch butter
1 cup of caster sugar
1 egg 2 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp baking powder 2 cups and
3 tbs of cake flour

Method
In a bowl, with a hand whisk, cream together the soft butter and sugar for 2 minutes. Next, add the egg and vanilla essence and whisk further for a minute. Next, add the dry ingredients and using a spoon mix until the dough comes together. Use your hands next to bring the dough together and smooth. It will be soft but not sticky. Wrap with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 30-40 minutes. Remove the dough from the fridge and take of cling wrap. Roll out on a well floured surface into a large rectangle about the same size as your pan, in this recipe I’m using a basic large oven pan that has been greased with butter. Transfer the dough to the pan, should it break, not to worry as you will now use your fingers to press the dough evenly and up the sides of the pan, ensuring there are no holes. Use your fingers to make the edges neat and straight. Place in the fridge until ready to fill with the custard filling.

Ingredients for the Filling
1 litre full cream milk
9 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
3 cardamom pods
3 cinnamon sticks
4 tsp cornflour or custard powder
fine cinnamon powder for sifting over milk tart

Method
In a large plastic jug, pour in 900ml of the milk , the cardamon pods and cinnamon sticks. Heat in the microwave for 3 minutes. In a cup stir the remaining milk and cornflour until well mixed and no lumps. Next add the sugar and the cornflour and milk mixture to the warm milk and stir well, remove the whole spices. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs for 1 minute. Add a quarter of the warm milk and whisk for a few seconds. Next add the rest of the milk and vanilla essence and whisk well for about 30 seconds, pour the custard back in the jug. Next, take out your biscuit base in pan from the fridge and place in a preheated oven at 180°C . Take the jug with filling and gently pour into the oven pan while in the oven. Close the oven door and bake for 40-45 minutes or until you see the edges of the biscuit base turns a dark golden brown . Remove from the oven sift lightly with fine cinnamon and allow to cool completely until cold . Cut and serve

Go out and have a slice, better yet, bake one. Happy Milk Tart Day!


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Terry Worley

Terry Worley has been associated with the Courier for many years and is involved in the community covering a variety of issues affecting residents. He has a passion for local politics and for the history of the area.

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