When living abroad for a few years one experiences more than just a tug on the heart strings longing for friends and family. Often one of the greatest symptoms of homesickness is a yank on the tummy strings. Travelers may find themselves craving the foods of home, whether it be a specific type of chocolate; or a certain bag of crisps; one is almost always assured of a wish for the taste of their home country.
Even those that usually prefer savory tastes and flavors may find living in a colder climate than they are used to, that they are more inclined to indulging in more cakes and chocolates than usual. This may suit those sweet-toothed partners just fine, as the possibility of spending a Sunday morning in the kitchen baking scones; making cakes for no particular reason or trying out delicious desserts for upcoming dinner parties increases.
Those that are fairly newly exposed to baking, will have realized that it is a whole lot simpler than previously thought. Time spent making a savory meal can often be a whole lot more complicated than time spent on a simple delicious dessert.
Fellow South Africans may feel the stirring of fond childhood memories of tagging along with Mom and Dad to the supermarket to buy some groceries and returning home with freshly made Milk Tart; the groceries unpacked; the kettle going on and tea and Milk Tart being the favorite choice for the afternoon.
There are numerous recipes online that have been tried and tested. The recipe here has been tried and perfected. This dessert is super simple to prepare, delicious to eat and a favorite amongst all ages. It can be made into a large tart, or into little tart-lets perfect for a finger food dessert, but, be warned it may disappear faster than you expect.
The Recipe
INGREDIENTS
The Base:
- 60 g butter, softened
- 100 g white sugar
- 1 egg
- 125 g plain flour
- 5 g baking powder
- pinch of salt
The Filling:
- 950 ml milk
- 10ml vanilla extract
- 15 g butter
- 20 g plain flour
- 20 g cornstarch
- 100 g white sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ground cinnamon
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and beat until mixture is smooth.
- In a separate bowl, sieve together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture just until ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Press mixture into a dish, cover with baking paper and dried beans.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.
- In a large saucepan, combine milk, vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon butter . Bring to a boil over medium heat, then remove from burner.
- In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, and sugar. Add beaten eggs to sugar mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Stir mixture into milk. Return pan to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 5 minutes. Pour mixture into pastry shell. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Refrigerate until set (approximately 1 hour).
- You may have a little mixture left over, pour into a cup, sprinkle with cinnamon and secretly indulge when nobody is around
The History
Before the Suez Canal was built, ships traveling to Asia had to sail around the tip of Africa. The Dutch East India Company began to use South Africa as a stopping point on the long trip from Europe to Asia and thus the first permanent settlements were established in the Cape around the middle of the century.
The cinnamon in the dessert would have been imported from Indonesia and the milk from the farms that supplied the ships with meat; vegetables and dairy. The recipe is strongly influenced by the Dutch. The South African, or Afrikaans, name for this dessert is Melk (Milk) Tert (Tart).
Tea time or anytime, this recipe is a winner.
Enjoy!
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