Swap the pears for sliced apples or stone fruit instead. 

Vanilla pear tarte tatin

Serves 6 

Ingredients   

1 packet (400g) puff pastry, defrosted
2-3 medium pears
½ cup (100g) sugar
½ cup (125ml) water
2 Tbsp (30g) butter
2 Tbsp (30ml) cream
1 vanilla pod, halved
1 egg, whisked
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Mint sprigs, for serving 

Method  

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Flour a work surface and roll pastry to 3mm thick. 
3. Select a cast-iron pan or oven-proof dish to cook your tart in. Using the shape of the dish, cut out a circle of pastry. 
4. Sandwich pastry disc between two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate until needed. 
5. Peel and core the pears, then slice into thin wedges. Submerge in lemon water until needed (this prevents them from browning). 
6. Add the sugar and water to the chosen baking dish. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves, bring to a boil. 
7. Boil until the mixture turns an amber caramel colour and forms large bubbles (about 115°C). 
8. Carefully add butter and cream, then whisk to combine (the mixture will expand and bubble up), leaving it on the heat for a few seconds until the sauce comes together. 
9. Remove from heat and add the vanilla pod.
10. Pat pears dry and arrange in the pan.
11. Cover pears with the pastry disc, tucking in the sides. Brush the top with whisked egg. 
12. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and crisp.
13. Flip tart out onto a plate, pears facing up.
14. Serve with ice cream and mint.  

Compiled by: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg 
Photography: Zhann Solomons 

Also read: Camembert & pear crinkle quiche 

The post Vanilla pear tarte tatin appeared first on MyKitchen.

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.

The Basque region, stretching from the north of Spain to the south of France, is known for this dense cheesecake with its nutty aroma from caramelized — not actually burnt — cake top. 

Basque cheesecake

Serves 8-10 

Ingredients

3 cups (750g) full-fat cream cheese
1½ cups (375ml) cream
4 extra-large eggs
1¼ cups (275g) caster sugar
2 tsp (10ml) vanilla essence
3 Tbsp (45ml) flour
½ tsp (2,5ml) salt 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Line a 23cm loose-bottom cake tin with baking paper, covering the base and sides. Repeat to overlap, making sure there is no exposed tin. 
3. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and blitz with a stick blender until smooth. Pour into prepared cake tin. 
4. Bake for 50-60 minutes until dark brown, keeping a close eye towards the end as the cake browns quickly. Turn the oven off and leave the door slightly ajar, letting the cheesecake cool overnight in the oven, or for at least 1-2 hours. Chill in the fridge until serving. 
5. Unmould, slice and serve at room temperature for best taste. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. 

Recipe & styling: Liezl Vermeulen
Photography: Zhann Solomons

Also read: Baked honey and strawberry cheesecake 

The post Basque cheesecake appeared first on MyKitchen.

Halve the cheesecake mousse ingredients if you prefer a fruitier dessert.

Peach cheesecake cups

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the crumble 

200g ginger biscuits
6 Tbsp (90g) melted butter, divided
½ tsp (2.5ml) cinnamon

For the syrup 

2 cans (410g each) peach halves in syrup
3 Tbsp (45g) treacle sugar
2 tsp (10ml) lemon juice
2 Tbsp (30ml) bourbon (optional)

For the cheesecake mousse 

1 cup (125ml) whipping cream
2 tsp (10ml) vanilla essence
¼ cup (30g) icing sugar, sifted 
2 tubs (250g each) mascarpone, at room temperature 

Method

1. Crush biscuits into a coarse crumb.
2. Combine crumb with half the butter and cinnamon, set aside. 
3. Decant peaches, reserving the syrup.
4. Add syrup to a pot with sugar, lemon juice and bourbon, if using. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. 
5. Halve peaches and add to a pan over medium heat.
6. Add remaining butter and stir. Cook until caramelised and lightly charred, turning peaches occasionally to char on all sides, about 10 minutes. 
7. Add a final drizzle of peach syrup (about 3 Tbsp) to the pan and stir to coat. Remove from the heat. 
8. For cheesecake mousse, combine cream and vanilla, then whip to stiff peaks. 
9. Whisk icing sugar and mascarpone until smooth. Fold through cream mixture. 
10. Add spoonfuls of biscuit crumb to 4-6 glasses, followed by dollops of cheesecake mixture and syrupy peaches. 
11. Repeat to fill glasses and serve with an extra drizzle of syrup. 

Chef’s tip: Refrigerate for a maximum of 1 hour before serving to prevent the biscuits from becoming soggy. 

Recipe & styling: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photography: Zhann Solomons

Also read: 4 unconventional recipes with peaches

The post Peach cheesecake cups appeared first on MyKitchen.

Crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, these tasty churros pure comfort and just what you need on a cold winter day! The best part? It’s made with Selati Sugar, of course! 

Delicious churros with Selati Sugar 

Ingredients 

For the choux pastry 

1 cup water 
2 Tbsp Selati Pure White Sugar
120g butter 
125g flour 
3 eggs 
Oil, for deep-frying 

For the cinnamon sugar  

200g Selati Golden Brown Sugar 
¼ tsp cinnamon  

Method 

1. Place water, sugar and butter in a small pot over high heat, stir to melt the butter. As soon as the mixture comes to a rolling simmer, remove from the heat.  
2. Add the flour and use a wooden spoon to stir thoroughly until no lumps of flour remain and the mixture is smooth. 
3. Place the pot back onto the heat and cook, stirring, for a minute. The mixture should come away from the sides of the pot to show it is ready.  
4. Place the mixture into a stainless-steel mixing bowl and spread up against the sides of the bowl to help cool it down.  
5. Once cool, add the eggs one at a time, thoroughly whisking between each until fully incorporated before adding the next.  
6. Fit a piping bag with a star nozzle. Use a pair of scissors to snip off the end of the plastic bag, allowing it to open. The end of the plastic should be halfway up the nozzle to allow for the pastry to be pushed out cleanly.  
7. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and twist closed.  
8. To make the unique churro hearts, cut out 12-15 squares of baking paper.  
9. Carefully pipe one heart onto each piece of baking paper. 
10. Heat oil for deep-frying.  
11. Combine cinnamon sugar ingredients in a large, shallow bowl.  
12. To fry the churro hearts, hold the baking paper upside down close to the oil and use a spatula to ease the pastry off into it (hold it close to it doesn’t splatter).  
13. To make classic churros, simply squeeze pastry from the piping bag until your desired length, then snip it off using a pair of oiled scissors (this prevents the dough from sticking).  
14. Fry churros for 3-4 minutes until golden, turning frequently to fry evenly.  
15. Remove churros from the oil using a slotted spoon, immediately toss in cinnamon sugar, then and place on a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining pastry. 

The post Delicious churros with Selati Sugar  appeared first on MyKitchen.

Ready to bake the ultimate milk tart for Milk Tart Day on 27 February? Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a newbie in the kitchen, these handy tips from the MyKitchen food team will have you whipping up a creamy, dreamy dessert that’s sure to steal the show. 

Top tip #1: Pack the crust with flavour 

“Don’t waste time, make that no-bake biscuit-butter crust. My secret? I add a big pinch of cinnamon to crushed coconut biscuits to make sure that iconic cinnamon taste is in every single bite of my fridge milk tart. You can also go fancy with an extra hand of finely chopped nuts in your cookie base.” 

– Liezl Vermeulen, Head of Food, MyKitchen 

Top tip #2: Give the filling some delicious flavour 

“Infuse the milk with vanilla, citrus, coconut or even ginger before making the filling for an extra flavour dimension. Another great tip to prevent the milk tart filling from cracking, is to allow the cooked milk tart to cool completely at room temperature before refrigerating.” 

– Lichelle May, Food Editor MyKitchen 

Top tip #3: Explore more crust options 

“Milk tart is classically made using shortcrust pastry, but you can get creative and use loads of other options! Blended biscuits and butter – use a biscuit of your choice to create a delicious quick base: tennis, ginger, Marie biscuits or even eet-sum-mores are great options.  

Flaky pastry or phyllo pastry – these will result in a more savoury puffed base (flaky) or a super crisp, thin base (phyllo). If using phyllo, brush melted butter between layers.  

Your milk tart can even be crustless! Love the filling but not the pastry? Simply bake in a pie dish and enjoy the creaminess of your dessert without a crust getting in the way!” 

– Sjaan van der Ploeg, Deputy Food Editor 

Try this delicious twist on the South African classic:

Two-tone chai milk tart 

Serves 6 

Ingredients 

200g Romany Creams, crushed
⅓ cup melted butter
1L milk
4 chai tea bags
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp corn flour
3 Tbsp flour, sifted
3 Tbsp cocoa, sifted  

Method  

1. In a bowl, combine the crushed biscuits and melted butter. Then press into a 22 cm, loose-bottomed pastry tin. Place in the fridge to set.
2. Pour the milk and chai into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.
3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, corn flour and flour. Temper the egg mixture with the hot milk and then return everything to the heat.
4. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, until thickened.
5. Once thickened, pour half the mixture into a large bowl and mix in the cocoa.
6. Carefully fill half the biscuit shell with chocolate mixture, and the other half with the rest of the mixture.
7. Cool completely and then set in the fridge before serving.

Image: Shutterstock / Supplied 

The post 3 expert tips to make your best-ever milk tart  appeared first on MyKitchen.