Sweeten Milk Tart Day on 27 February with two irresistible spins on South Africa’s favourite dessert! These playful makeovers, like a creamy milk tart milkshake and a zingy lemon meringue pie, are ready to steal the spotlight and satisfy every craving. 

The classic: Local is lekker milk tart  

Serves 8-10  

Ingredients

For the pastry  

1 cup (120g) icing sugar 
½ cup (125g) butter 
2 large egg yolks 
1⅔ cup (250g) flour 
Pinch of salt 

For the custard filling  

4 cups (1L) milk 
2 cinnamon sticks 
3 Tbsp (45g) butter 
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla essence 
½ cup (100g) sugar 
3 large eggs 
2 Tbsp (30ml) flour 
2 Tbsp (30ml) cornflour 

To decorate  

Ground cinnamon 
Drizzle of honey (optional)  

Method 

1. For the pastry, cream, sugar and butter together until combined. Add egg yolks and beat to combine.  
2. Add flour and salt and mix until dough resembles breadcrumbs. 
3. Remove dough from bowl and use your lightly floured hands to work together until smooth.  
4. Shape into a flat disc, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 
5. Preheat oven to 180°C. Thoroughly grease a25cm fluted tart tin.  
6. Flour work surface and a rolling pin.  
7. Roll dough out into a disc slightly larger than your tin. Place dough into tin and lightly press into grooves, allowing the excess to fold over the edges. Prick the pastry base all over with a fork – this prevents it from puffing up.  
8. Place a large sheet of baking paper over pastry, top with an even layer of any dry beans or rice to keep the sheet down. 
9. Blind bake pastry for 15 minutes, then remove paper and beans. 
10. Bake for 15 minutes until fully cooked through and golden. While hot, gently cut excess dough to create a level edge. Set aside to cool. 
11. For the filling, heat milk, cinnamon and butter until warm. Infuse for 5 minutes and remove cinnamon.  
12. Whisk together sugar and eggs. Add a small portion of egg mixture to a bowl with the flours and mix into a runny paste. Combine paste with remaining egg and mix thoroughly.  
13. 1 Slowly pour hot milk mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. 
14. Return mixture to saucepan and cook, while whisking, until thickened, about 5-10 minutes. 
15. Pass custard through a sieve and onto cooled pastry base. 
16. Level with a spatula and cool completely before chilling in the fridge for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. 
17. Serve milk tart dusted with cinnamon.

Recipe & styling: Chad January
Photography: Zhann Solomons 

The icy treat: Milk tart milkshake  

Serves 1  

Ingredients 

3 Tbsp (45ml) caramel treat 
2 slices store-bought milk tart 
3 scoops vanilla ice cream 
½ – ¾ cup (125ml-180ml) milk 
Handful caramel popcorn  

Method 

1. Use the back of a small spoon to spread caramel around the inside of your glass. 
2. Blend milk tart, ice cream and ½ cup milk in a food processor until thick and smooth. Add more milk, if you like.  
3. Pour milkshake into your glass, drizzle with extra caramel and scatter with some caramel popcorn to serve. 

Chef’s tip: Popcorn not your thing? Smear chocolate spread or peanut butter inside the glass and decorate with crushed ginger biscuits or chocolate. 

Recipe & styling: Chad January
Photography: Zhann Solomons 

The zingy duo: Lemon milk tart meringue pie  

Serves 8  

Ingredients 

For the biscuit base 

1 ½ packets (300g) lemon-flavoured Tennis biscuits
½ cup + 2 Tbsp (150g) butter, melted

For the milk tart filling 

1 can (375g) condensed milk
3 cups (700g) full cream milk
2 tsp (10ml) vanilla essence
2 large eggs, separated
¼ cup +1/3 cup (70g) corn flour
¼ cup + 2 tsp (70ml) water
Pinch of salt

To serve 

½ cup (125ml) store-bought lemon curd
Store-bought meringue kisses 

Method 

1. For the biscuit base, break biscuits into a food processor and blend to fine crumbs. Mix in the butter until well combined.
2. Press biscuit base into the base and up the sides of a 24cm springform cake tin and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
3. For the milk tart filling, place the condensed milk, milk and vanilla essence into a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil while whisking constantly. 
4. Remove from the heat and let cool for two minutes.
5. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the cornflour, water, egg yolks and salt until smooth.  
6. Gradually add the cornflour mixture to the warm condensed milk mixture while whisking constantly.  
7. Return the pot to low heat and whisk until the mixture has thickened.
8. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. 
10. Gently fold egg whites into the hot custard. Pour the filling over the chilled biscuit base. Allow to cool completely before refrigerating for at least 2 hours. 
11. To serve, remove the milk tart from the cake tin. Spread lemon curd and decorate with meringue kisses.  

Pro tip: If your filling looks a little lumpy, pass it through a sieve before folding in the egg whites. 

Recipes & styling: Marizka du Toit
Photography: Jurie Senekal 

Also read: 3 expert tips to make your best-ever milk tart 

The post 2 Sweet twists on milk tart you’ll want to try appeared first on MyKitchen.

I have always loved to bake and have long been renowned for my sugary prowess in the kitchen. I am that faithful friend who will arduously craft you a birthday cake – or a cheesecake with macadamia-nut brittle and salted caramel sauce – but only if I really, really like you. Baking, like most of life’s worthy endeavours, is perfected over time. Things slowly become easier, simpler and more beautiful after sometimes-spectacular series of trial and error. It’s the holiday season, and I am feeling particularly generous, so, here are a few tricks and tips I have learned from my time at the oven.

By Erin Starr

1. Measure absolutely everything
This is an especially good tip for the unsure beginner baker. Baking is a science – the rise of your dough or the texture of your brownie all depend upon intricate chemical reactions. For this reason, measurements are of paramount importance. Measure out everything from flour to baking powder to salt – even the slightest mistake could have potentially disastrous effects. Pay special attention to baking powder, yeast and gelatin. No one wants to cry over a sunken sponge cake (I swear it only happened once and it was a particularly tough week).

2. Use salt!
I am a professed sodium addict. I am one of those terrible people who reach for the salt shaker before I have had even taken one bite of whatever is placed before me. As deplorable as some may find this little quirk of mine, please, I beg of you, do not underestimate this tip. Adding a pinch of salt to something sweet can be truly revolutionary. It will give icing a creamier richness. It will transform a caramel sauce into a revelation, and it just might turn those dark chocolate brownies into something of a religious experience.

3. Trust yourself and your equipment
For those of us with trust issues, this is going to be a tricky one. One of my biggest baking triumphs is that I have developed a wonderful baking instinct. I know when a cake is just about right. I know the precise moment when I’m about to over-whip my cream into a buttery mass. I know exactly when a meringue is set to crunchy on the outside and scrumptiously gooey on the inside. This comes with time. Trust your gut and trust your oven. Do not, under any circumstances, compulsively open your oven to check on whatever you have cooking. Take a deep breath and only open the oven door when absolutely necessary.

4. Temperature is important
If a recipe calls for ‘room temperature’ eggs or ‘chilled’ butter, I implore you to pay attention. Even though you’re wearing a fuchsia apron instead of a lab coat, doesn’t lessen the science that is the art of baking. A block of butter pulled straight from the icy confines of the fridge is not going to easily emulsify into your batter. As for eggs, if you’re making meringue, temperature is imperative. Room temp egg whites will effortlessly triple in volume. Your pavlova will never be the same again.

5. Be creative
Once you are comfortable with the fundamentals, you can toy with all the weird and wonderful ingredients in your pantry. This is my favourite thing about baking. This is the magical part of your journey, where you can pour yourself a glass of wine, put on a Fleetwood Mac playlist and actually enjoy yourself. Play with citrus – use orange or lemon juice or zest in batters and icings. Add something seemingly savoury to create unique flavour profiles (I love to bake desserts with rosemary or thyme). If a recipe calls for butter, try ‘burning’ it. Place it in a pot over medium heat until it reaches a golden brown colour. Whatever you add it to will have the most marvellous nutty flavour, but remember to refrigerate the burnt butter if the recipe calls for a certain consistency. Stock your cupboards with rose water, almond essence and dried vanilla pods. Experiment with chopped nuts, a dollop of peanut butter or a tot of your best liqueur. Quite simply, have fun!

The post On the Rise: Baking secrets from a (self-proclaimed) domestic goddess appeared first on MyKitchen.