Mini Melktert (milk tart)
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Makes: 27 tartlets
Time to make: 60 mins
(10 min prep shells, 20 min baking, cooling, custard prep, 10 min assembly, 20 min cooling)
Growing up in South Africa, enjoying melktert was a tea-time treat for when we had visitors or a family birthday. Koljander was the place our mother bought them and the enticing aroma of cinnamon and vanilla would fill the car during the drive home from school.
I was thrilled when I learned (30 years later) how easy it is to make.
I’ve made tarts with biscuit bases, shortcrust, flan and even crustless, but my latest iteration is by far the yummiest – mini melktert nestled in puff pastry shells.
| Ingredients | Method |
| – 3 sheets puff pastry – 3 cups milk * – 3 eggs – 1 cup sugar – 2½ Tbsp cornflour ** – vanilla (1 tsp essence or ½ tsp ground) – Pinch of salt – Dusting of Cinnamon Equipment – Muffin trays – Patty Pans – Saucepans x 2 – Heat-resistant whisk – Pizza cutter (not essential) Notes * I haven’t tried it with plant milk yet. Avoid using coconut milk as it would change the flavour profile of the tart. ** I have read that some cooks have used arrowroot starch instead of cornflour, but I have not tested that. Shopping list: – Milk – Puff Pastry sheets – Sugar – Cornflour – Eggs – Vanilla – Salt – Cinnamon | 1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C 2. Line muffin trays with patty pans 3. Cut the puff pastry sheets into squares (3 x 3 making 9 squares per sheet). 4. Put squares into a patty pans. 5. Prick each tart base, using a fork. 6. Bake pastry shells until light golden (± 5-15 minutes) 7. Cool on a tray. 8. Heat the milk in one saucepan 9. Beat eggs in another saucepan 10. Add sugar, cornflour, vanilla and salt to the eggs and beat 11. Add the hot milk to the large saucepan and set the stove to medium heat. 12. Whisk constantly until it thickens (± 5 minutes in) and remove it from the heat immediately when it does. 13. Spoon the custard into the tart shells 14. Dust with cinnamon. 15. Cool uncovered before serving. |
