Deep Dish Milk Tart

Serves 8-10

Preparation time: 1 hour

Cooking time: 1 hour + resting overnight

Ingredients:

For the base:

  • Ready to roll sweet short crust pastry, defrosted
  • Butter to grease baking tin
  • Equipment – 24cm fluted round baking tin, baking beans and baking paper

For the filling:

  • 750ml full cream milk
  • 250 ml pouring cream
  • 30g butter
  • 5ml vanilla extract or one vanilla pod
  • 1 long cinnamon stick
  • Zest of ½ orange or peel of a naartjie
  • 100g castor sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • 5 large eggs, beaten
  • 80g corn flour
  • Cinnamon powder for dusting

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll out the pastry and place it into the greased baking tin, making sure to mould it to the shape of the tin with your fingers. Line the top of the pastry with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Pop in the freezer for 10 minutes. Remove from the freezer and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper and beans and bake for a further 10 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
  2. For the filling: Place the milk, cream, butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon stick, orange zest, castor sugar, and salt into a pot and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat immediately and allow to infuse for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla pod.
  3. Whisk the eggs well and stir in the corn flour to make a thickish paste. Pour the egg mixture into the warm milk mixture and whisk well.
  4. Place a sieve over a large microwavable bowl and pour the milk tart mixture through the sieve, straining out the zest or peel, and any lumps.
  5. Place in the microwave and cook for 2-minute intervals, whisking well in between until the custard is thick.
  6. Pour the custard into the pastry lined tin, smooth the top with a spatula and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover lightly with a piece of plastic wrap (this will prevent the top from cracking) and place in the fridge overnight to set completely.

To serve dust with cinnamon powder.