Melk Tert (milk tart)

Growing up this was my favourite food. Not my favourite dessert, my favourite food. I loved the inherent comfort of the cinnamon and creamy filling (it reminded me of being wrapped up in front of a fire in desolate farmhouses during cold winters snow-hunting in the Drakenberg Mountains in South Africa). I think I might bake one this weekend to celebrate a Sydney winter.

SHELL

125g butter

100g sugar

1 egg, beaten

275g cake flour

10ml baking powder

salt

1. Grease 2 tart tins. Preheat the oven 180C
2. Combine butter, sugar and egg.
3. Sieve the dry ingredients and mix into the butter, sugar and egg mixture.
4. Press thinly into the tart tin (it is essential to make this very thin)
5. Bake for 15-20min or until golden brown.

FILLING
1l + 125ml milk
80g butter
200g white sugar
2ml salt
60ml cake flour
60ml cornflour
4 eggs, separated
5ml vanilla essence/1 vanilla pod
Cinnamon

1. Combine the milk, butter, sugar and salt in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil.
2. Mix the flour and cornflour together with the 125ml cold milk until it forms a smooth paste.
3. Beat the egg yolks and add to the paste.
4. Add a little bit of the hot milk mixture to the paste and mix well. Add to the hot milk mixture in the sauce pan and stir well.
5. Continue stirring the mixture over a medium heat until cooked.
6. Remove from heat and add the vanilla essence.
7. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks and fold into the milk mixture.
8. Spoon the mixture into the shell and sprinkle with cinnamon.
9. Bake for a further 20mins.