Food and Cooking

Traditional South African mini Milk Tarts

Milk tarts are our favourite treat no matter where in the world and it is so easy to make that there really is no excuse to not be making these treats! Making them into smaller versions makes these mini milk tarts an easy way to beautifully serve to guests or to pack for lunch snacks.

Milk tart is the glue that keeps us connected and proudly South African. If we had to describe milk tart to a non South African, we’d have to say gooey goodness that tastes like more.

If you like custard dusted with a little cinnamon, then that is what these mini milk tarts are. It has been made all over the country from a church bazaar to the supermarket.

INGREDIENTS
2 free-range eggs

4 free-range egg yolks

8 Tablespoons cornflour

230 g Castor Snow

800 ml milk

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

All butter puff pastry (you can buy this at food stores) Thaw before use according to instructions on the pack.

Cinnamon sugar (cinnamon mixed with sugar according to your taste)

METHOD
1.Lightly grease a 12 hole muffin pan and pre-heat oven to 200C/392F
2.Place the eggs, yolks, sugar and cornflour in a pan and mix well together then gradually add the milk until mixture is well mixed and smooth. Make sure there are no lumps.
3.Place pan on medium heat and stir constantly with a whisk until mixture thickens and comes to the boil. Make sure that you have no lumps.
4.Remove the pan from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
5.Put custard in a glass heat resistant bowl to cool and cover with cling film to prevent skin forming.
Method Pastry:
1.Cut the pastry sheet into two pieces and place them on top of each other. Roll the pastry lightly, from the short side, into a log and cut the log into 12 even-sized rounds. 2.On a lightly floured board, roll each round into a round shape (approx. 10cm) and press the pastry discs into the muffin tin.
3.Spoon into the pastry cups the cooled custard and bake for 20-25mins until golden on top.
4.Leave to cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes, remove and place on a rack to finish cooling although they can be eaten warm.

Recipe by Irene Muller