Melktert, a traditional South African dessert, is a creamy, custard-like tart that has captured the hearts of many with its delightful flavor and unique texture. With its origins dating back to the early settlers of the Cape, Melktert has become an iconic symbol of South African cuisine, enjoyed by people from all walks of life. This versatile dish can be served warm or cold, making it a perfect treat for any occasion. In this article, we present two variations of Melktert: the classic recipe and a delightful gluten-free version, ensuring that everyone can indulge in this culinary treasure. Embark on a culinary journey as we explore the history, ingredients, and step-by-step instructions for creating this beloved dessert.
Let's cook with our recipes!
SOUTH AFRICAN MELKTERT (MILK TART)
My 'ouma' South African grandmother's legendary milk tart. It is lip-smacking. The recipe is a real winner. It is a traditional South African tart that is very easy to prepare.
Provided by TWAKMUIS
Categories World Cuisine Recipes African
Time 1h10m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Coat a 9 inch deep dish pie plate with vegetable oil cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg yolks and beat until light and fluffy. Sift in the cake flour, baking powder and salt, and stir until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and milk. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks using an electric mixer. Fold into the batter. Pour into the prepared pie plate, and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top.
- Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Continue to bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the center is set when you gently jiggle the pie. Serve hot or cold.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 294.3 calories, Carbohydrate 46.8 g, Cholesterol 98 mg, Fat 8.5 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 7.9 g, SaturatedFat 4.9 g, Sodium 238.5 mg, Sugar 30.9 g
SOUTH AFRICAN MELKTERT (MILKTART)
This is a wonderfully thick and flavourful milk custard set in a crust. A traditional tart which is loved by young and old alike. Children especially love the filling as a dessert.
Provided by Bokenpop aka Mad
Categories Dessert
Time 15m
Yield 2 pies
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Heat 3 cups of milk to boiling point.
- Mix remaining milk, flour, sugar, extracts, salt and egg yolks together and add to hot milk.
- Cook until very thick and remove from stove.
- Whisk egg whites to stiff peak stage and add to milk mixture after it has been off the stove for 5 minutes.
- Stir in margarine and pour mixture into ready-made pie shells.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Refrigerate to cool and set.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 2424.4, Fat 94.9, SaturatedFat 28.4, Cholesterol 495.4, Sodium 1904.8, Carbohydrate 349.9, Fiber 6.3, Sugar 193.2, Protein 46.8
SOUTH AFRICAN MELKTERT OR MILK TART (CUSTARD PIE)
This traditional South African Melktert or Milk Tart is a variation of an egg custard pie which originated with the Dutch settlers who came South Africa in the 17th Century. Melktert was then adapted and made a purely South African creation by the Cape Malays. Apparently wives reputations hang on their Melkterts and recipes are family heirlooms. So, for something exotic and a bit different, give this a try.
Provided by NcMysteryShopper
Categories Dessert
Time 45m
Yield 2 Pies
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 400o F.
- Line bottom and sides of two pie plates (not deep dish) with puff pastry making raised edges.
- In a pot, bring milk to a slow boil and add butter, salt and cinnamon. Reduce to simmer.
- In a mixing bowl, combine custard powder, corn flour and cake flour. Stir in cold milk and mix to form a paste. Stir in a little of the hot milk mixture.
- Stir custard mixture into the pot of hot milk. Add 4 tbsp of the sugar and bring to a boil, stirring continuously.
- Remove from heat once the mixture has thickened. Discard cinnamon.
- Beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar. Set Aside.
- Beat egg yolks lightly and add a little of the custard mixture to the egg yolks.
- Then stir the yolk/custard mixture into the main custard mixture and add almond extract.
- Gently FOLD in the egg whites.
- Pour the mixture into the awaiting pie pans and bake for approximately 10 minutes.
- Lower the temperature to 350 F and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the filling has set.
- Cool slightly and sprinkle the top of the custard pie with cinnamon and sugar.
- Serve cold.
SOUTH AFRICAN MELKTERT (MILK TART)
This is a type of custard pie made in South Africa. This is a simple yet totally satisfying dessert or as a treat with coffee.
Provided by Debbie Boere Vrou
Categories Tarts
Time 25m
Yield 3 pies, 24 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Mix sweetened condensed milk, 1 tin (300 ml) milk, egg yolks, corn starch and custard powder in a large microwave proof casserole dish. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the rest of the milk (5 tins or 1500 ml) and mix well again. Cook at high power in microwave for 3 minutes. Stir well and add margarine and vanilla. Cook for 3 minutes, stir well, continue cooking in two or three minute intevals until mixture is thickened and smooth. It takes about 8 minutes total in my microwave. Allow to cool slightly.
- Beat reserved egg whites until stiffly beaten. Fold in egg whites into cooked milk mixture.
- Pour into three baked pie crust - use Pat in Pan pie crust as a good pie crust for this pie.
- Sprinkle cinnamon on top of pie.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 144.7, Fat 5.8, SaturatedFat 2.9, Cholesterol 50.7, Sodium 78.4, Carbohydrate 18.7, Fiber 0.2, Sugar 12.6, Protein 4.7
SOUTH AFRICAN MILK TART (MELKTERT)
Make and share this South African Milk Tart (Melktert) recipe from Food.com.
Provided by MsBindy
Categories Dessert
Time 1h30m
Yield 12 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- For the crust, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or knife until the flour resembles a coarse cornmeal.
- Stir in the sour cream to form a soft dough.
- Dust the dough with flour and form it into a ball.
- On a generously floured surface, roll out the dough to fix at 11x13-inch baking sheet or a 14-inch pizza pan. It will be thicker than a usual pie crust.
- Carefully lift the dough and lay it out flat on the unoiled pan. Crimp the edges by pinching them to form a rim. Pierce the dough with a fork in several places.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until crisp and golden.
- Meanwhile, make the custard by heating the milk to boiling.
- Combine the sugar, flour, eggs, and salt in a blender.
- When the milk begins o foam, pur it slowly into the whirling blender.
- Pour the custard back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 3-5 minutes, until thickened.
- Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Set aside.
- When the crust has baked, spread the custard filling evenly over it.
- Generously sprinkle the top with cinnamon and brown sugar. Return the tart to the oven for about 15 minutes, until the brown sugar melts and the top of the custard is firm.
- Serve the milk tart warm or cold.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 407.8, Fat 23.2, SaturatedFat 13.8, Cholesterol 142.9, Sodium 329.9, Carbohydrate 42.6, Fiber 1, Sugar 17.5, Protein 7.7
MELKTERT
Provided by Lannice Snyman
Categories Milk/Cream Egg Dessert Bake Vanilla Fall Cinnamon Phyllo/Puff Pastry Dough Simmer Kidney Friendly Vegetarian Pescatarian Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free Kosher
Yield Makes 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- CRUST
- Set the oven at 200°C (400°F). Lightly grease a 24-cm (10-inch) shallow enamel plate or quiche tin. Roll out the pastry and line the baking plate or tin. Press in a piece of oiled foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake the crust for about 5 minutes more until crisp and golden. Allow to cool.
- FILLING
- Measure three-quarters of the milk into a saucepan, add the cinnamon and heat to just below boiling point. Set aside to infuse for about 15 minutes.
- Mix together the remaining milk, egg yolks, flour, cornflour (cornstarch), castor sugar (superfine or regular sugar) and baking powder. Strain the cinnamon-flavoured milk, pour into a clean saucepan and cook, stirring, until the custard thickens. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the butter and vanilla essence. Cool to room temperature. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C (350°F).
- Whisk the egg white stiffly and fold into the custard. Pour into the pastry shell and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 160°C (325°F) and bake for about 30 minutes more, until the filling is set. Slide the hot tart onto a plate, sprinkle with ground cinnamon and serve warm.
TRADITIONAL MELKTERT
This is the real old fashioned traditional South African Melktert, quite delicious, and rightly one of our favourite treats. There are many of these recipes on the web, adjusted in various ways, and with many ingredients added which were not available when this recipe was first created. These can make the finished tart something quite different from the original. There are also many recipes available that do not contain cinnamon, which may be a personal preference, but is definitely NOT traditional! It is very important to keep the pastry short, and to pre-bake it, so that the creamy filling does not make it soggy. I use honey in my filling, because it is more nutritious than sugar, and healthier, (and I think the settlers may well have used it, not sugar) but if you hate honey, you could substitute 80 - 100g sugar, to taste.
Provided by ZAR-INA
Categories Dessert
Time 45m
Yield 1 tart, 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- METHOD.
- First bake the pastry base, and allow it to cool. If the base is filled before it is cool, it will go soggy.
- PASTRY BASE.
- Mix the butter and sugar vigorously until it is light in colour. It does not have to be smooth, the grainy texture of the sugar helps the crust to be more like biscuit than cake.
- Add the egg and beat well.
- Add the flour and beat until well blended and smooth.
- Press into a spring-form cake tin or loose-bottom tin, making sure that the pastry comes at least 4cms (1 1/2 inches) up the side of the tin.
- Bake at 180degC for 25mins. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- FILLING.
- Put the milk, cinnamon stick, vanilla pod and butter into a saucepan and scald. (bring almost to the boil before removing from the heat.) Turn off the heat and allow the saucepan to remain on the hot stove plate for the cinnamon and vanilla flavours to steep.
- Meanwhile, put the honey (or sugar) and eggs into a bowl and whisk vigorously, adding small amounts of the flours until you have a smooth and well-blended consistency.
- Strain the hot milk, and pour onto the sugar and egg mixture while beating until all the ingredients are well blended.
- Return to the saucepan, and simmer over a low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or wire whisk until the mixture is thick and creamy, taking care that it does not stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared and cooled pastry case, (which should still be in the tin), sprinkle lightly with ground cinnamon, and refrigerate until cold and set.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 357.6, Fat 16.6, SaturatedFat 9.6, Cholesterol 118.7, Sodium 146.9, Carbohydrate 45.8, Fiber 0.5, Sugar 23.7, Protein 7.1
Tips:
- Use high-quality ingredients. This will make a big difference in the taste of your melktert. Use fresh milk, eggs, and butter, and make sure your pastry flour is fresh and finely milled.
- Don't overmix the pastry dough. Overmixing will make the dough tough and difficult to work with. Mix the dough just until it comes together, then wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out.
- Blind-bake the pastry crust before filling it. This will help to prevent the crust from becoming soggy. To blind-bake the crust, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line the pastry crust with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center is set.
- Use a rich and creamy custard filling. The custard filling is the heart of a melktert, so make sure it's delicious. Use a combination of milk, eggs, sugar, and cornstarch, and flavor it with vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Bake the melktert until the center is set. The melktert is done baking when the center is set and the top is golden brown. To test if the melktert is done, insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, the melktert is done.
Conclusion:
Melktert is a delicious and classic South African dessert that is perfect for any occasion. With its rich and creamy custard filling and flaky pastry crust, it's sure to be a hit with everyone who tries it. So next time you're looking for a special dessert, give melktert a try. You won't be disappointed!
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