Milk tart (melktert)

slice of milk tart (melktert) in front of rest of tart.

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5 from 2 votes

This easy pie is similar to a custard tart but lighter and more delicate. Great for so many occasions.

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

resting time (approx, or more)4

Total Time5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: South African

Servings: approx

Calories: 328kcal

Author: Caroline's Cooking

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Ingredients

For pastry crust

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour plain flour, plus a little more as rolling out
¼ cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 egg yolk
7 tablespoon butter

For filling

2 eggs
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon cornstarch corn flour
1 tablespoon all purpose flour plain flour
2 cups milk whole milk is best
1 tablespoon butter

To finish

1 teaspoon cinnamon approximately

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For pastry crust/base

To make the crust, place the flour, sugar, salt, egg yolk and butter (cut into chunks) in a food processor. Pulse so that the mixture becomes like breadcrumbs. If needed, add up to around 1 tablespoon of water to help form coarse crumbs. Alternatively, you can cream together the butter and sugar, mix in the egg then mix in the flour and salt. Form the dough into a ball, cover in cling wrap/film and chill for around 30 minutes before rolling out.
Roll out dough and line a greased 9 inch (23cm) pie dish or tart pan - a pan with a removable base makes it easier to remove later. Press the dough gently into the edges of the dish, and fill any cracks or thin areas. Trim the edges and, if you like, gently prick the base a few times with a fork. Chill again while the oven heats.
Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Bake blind (ie filled with parchment paper and beans/baking weights) for around 10-15 minutes, remove beans and bake 'open' for a further 10-15 minutes until lightly brown, dry and firm to touch. You want it cooked but not too brown as it tends to shrink more if baked longer. Allow to cool before adding the filling (around the time it takes to make the filling should be fine).

For filling/rest of tart

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, cornstarch/corn flour and flour in a medium bowl to form a smooth paste. Separately, warm the milk and butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it is almost starting to simmer (take care not to let it actually simmer or boil).
Add a little of the warm milk to the egg mixture and whisk in to combine. Keep adding a little more of the warm milk, mixing constantly, and continue to add and whisk gradually a few more times before then adding in the rest.
Transfer the mixture back to the pan and return to a medium-low heat and warm gently, stirring constantly. Keep warming a few minutes so that the mixture thickens - it should be like a custard and coat the back of a spoon. Pour the mixture into the cooked pastry base, straining if you have any lumps at all to help remove them (or strain if you are unsure). Sprinkle the top with cinnamon.
Let the tart cool slightly then refrigerate to cool completely and for the filling to set, around 4 hours (or can chill overnight).

Video

Notes

Milk tart is generally made in one of two ways - a thinner tart, as here, or more of a deep pie with a thicker layer of filling. If you prefer to make the latter, then you will need around 1 ½ times the amount of filling as here, and you should cook it until reasonably thick so that it holds firmer when you cut into it.

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