Milk Tart
Milk tart or Melk Tert is as South African as biltong and dry wors and this is one of those recipes you are going to want to bookmark, print or share so that you never lose it. Milk tart has been one of my favorite desserts for a very long time and I have tried quite a number of Millk Tart recipes and if you have been following these recipes for a while, you will know that the easier the better for me. It’s a goodie this one, try it.
What you need
Crust
110g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5 tablespoons caster sugar
60g butter
Filling
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons maizena (cornflour)
2 tablespoons flour
500ml milk
100g sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Cinnamon
The process
Heat your oven to 180 Celsius
On a low heat melt the butter for the pastry.
In a mixing bowl, add the flour baking powder and caster sugar for the crust and give it a mix to distribute the ingredients evenly. Add the melted butter and use your fingers to mix it into the dry ingredients until you get it all sticking together in a crumbly shortbread kind of consistency with no flour left in the bowl.
Now take your pie dish (about 20cm circle) and press the pastry into the base and up the sides with an even thickness. Prick it with a fork about 4 or 5 times over the base and then pop it into the oven for about 12 minutes or so until the pastry is light brown. Remove and set aside.
While the pastry is browning get another mixing bowl and add the flour, maizena and eggs, whisk them together.
Now take a small pot on a medium heat and add the milk, sugar and salt. Heat until the sugar has completely dissolved and you are stirring continuously. The milk should be threatening to boil at this stage with small bubbles appearing around the edge (don’t let it boil).
Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes and then pour the milk in a slow stream into the egg mixture while you whisk. It is really important to add the heat gradually while you whisk. This prevents lumps from forming and does not cook the egg too quickly(If there is someone nearby to help you, that is best)
The mixture will be thickening while you whisk and once you have finished adding all of the milk mixture, return everything to the pot over a medium to low heat and add the vanilla essence. Cook it for a few minutes stirring constantly(slowly) until the custard has thickened to a wonderful creamy texture.
Fill up your base with the custard filling, give it a good dusting with cinnamon and set it aside in a cool place to set. Then pop it in the fridge for about an hour before digging in.
I know it seems like a long recipe but it’s really not…. I just want you to really enjoy this one!
I made this today and it’s very tasty.
My wife will not settle for low quality melktert and she was pleased with it.
After reading the comments of others I experimented with the base first, using the above recipe. It created a tasty but hard and crunchy shortbread type base which was interesting but not what would pass muster. So I reduced the sugar by one table spoon, added a teaspoon of vanilla essence, a pinch of salt and just enough water to bind the otherwise crumbly dry mixture. This turned out to be less than 50ml. Cooking time was also reduced by one or two minutes – cook until pastry visibly puffs and is barely showing colour rather than light brown.
I think the problem is that normal flour moisture content and grinds vary from country to country and so does the characteristics of sugar/granule size and of course oven heating.
Thanks for that Lee and for your commitment to your wife’s tastes I am sure she really appreciates it. Have a fantastic 2012
Hi, Can anyone give me some advise please.. I have tried 2 different milktart recipes and both did not set well. Do not know if I am doing someting wrong…
I also noticed that the crust is alot softer and so nice when it is eaten at room temp..
Our American, Boone County, Indiana, Extension Homemakers are presenting their 6th annual International Night tomorrow. We are featuring the county of South Africa and will be preparing ethnic foods for our audience to taste. The meal will be followed by a presentation on South Africa. I chose to make the Melk Tert because I thought it looked easy. The custard was no problem, but the crust, using carefully researched UK/USA converted measurements, plus my gram scale, was dry, difficult to handle and baked up hard as a rock. I used 110g all purpose flour, 1/2 USA teasp baking powder, 6 USA Tab granulated sugar (ground to fine in my blender), and 60g butter. The recipe is to be shared, but I need to know what I did wrong with the crust before passing it on. Thanks.
Hi Vivian, sorry for the late reply, just did not get to the site yesterday. The ingredients look fine, did you measure out the sugar after having ground it fine? It sounds like it could have been the combination of too much sugar and perhaps the heat a bit high. The pastry is meant to be reasonably firm but certainly not hard. Hope that helps, G
YOU JUST LEFT THE PASTRY IN THE OVEN TOO LONG.
You can also crush a packet of coconut biscuits (We use a packet called Tennis Biscuits) with melted butter to make the crust. That is the way we make it here in SA and it is so easy!
Thanks Gayle, I also use Tennis biscuits in the lemon meringue pie recipe https://cookbook.co.za/dessert-recipes/lemon-meringue-pie/
have a great day G
Wow – nothing better than a good ol’ homemade milk tart, with a cup of tea! Will be trying out this recipe soon. Thanks for your awesome recipes Graham!
Great stuff, incidentally I also spend a day at Warwick a little while ago and would highly recommend it, there is a very romantic story about the logo that is well worth exploring. Cheers for now G
im realy so scared to make milktarts..these days they never come out right…hope this one is flop proof coz id love to surprise my hubby, he is a milktart addict
i made the tart yesterday..was wondering why it wasnt getting thicker when i mixed the milk with the egg mixture..so i put the entire mixture on the stove on a low heat and stirred..
whalla!! turned into a beautifull custard..so my milk wasnt hot enough when i mixed it with the eggs,thats why..i couldnt even wait for it to cool properly..was sooo good..
think i found my favorite new milk tart recipe..tnx G
Fantastic, I only read this after my last reply… Happy days G
Hi Brigitte, Go on give it a go, it is really not difficult and I’m sure your hubby will love it. Have a lekker day G
Hi Graham, I cannot wait to receive your tried and tested recipes. Have not made any yet but will do the cheese scones to-day. Thanks for the great recipes. I like them easy peasy!!!
Hi Magda, the easier the better for me too, enjoy the cones and have a fabulous weekend, G
Hi Graham
Looks like a great recipe, but I don’t have a kitchen scale – how much in ml would the flour be?
Hi Debs, It is roughly 1 cup of sifted flour. Sift the flour onto a piece of baking paper twice and then into a cup measure(250ml) and that will do the trick. Have a lekker day G
Sorry, can I just ask if the recipe is correct as it is shown now.
As I would like to make it this weekend but would like to know if for the pastry I need 110g flour and 60g butter or the other way around.
thanks
Hi Grahah, thats it, I amended the recipe, 110g flor, 60g butter. Enjoy it G
Hi Graham
Years ago I met a lady in Bonnievale who gave me a milk tart recipe that was really great. I loved her milk tart, but hated making it because the crust was a job to do: known as skilferkors. i kept the recipe for the filling, though.
Then, a few year later I met someone in Windhoek who made milk tarts to die for, and she gave me her recipe for the crust. Easy as pie, and a SMALL amount is enough for two tarts!
I combined the two recipes – and you can have it, if I can figure out how to forward it to you…
Ciao!
Hi Helena, that is a real treat for me, thanks so much, can you please email it to me at graham (at) cookbook.co.za, have a fabulous day.. really looking forward to trying your recipe. G
the quantities for the butter and flour for the crust have been swapped! i made this last night, and the first crust was awful – but i remade it with the flour and butter quantities swapped – PERFECT!!!!! just had a piece now, and the tart is SUPERB!
thanks for sharing…
Oi, I am so sorry about that, have rectified the recipe. Thanks for pointing it out..:( It is a good one though, Cheers for now G