Spring thaw
Comfort Food
Ouma’s milk tart is a traditional southern African dish.
Pastry ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons castor sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Filling ingredients:
5 cups milk
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornmeal
6 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1/2 teaspoon salt
cinnamon and nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 350°F. To make the pastry, cream the sugar and butter together, add the egg and beat, then add the flour and baking powder to form a soft dough. Press the dough into a large pie plate and set aside.
Then make the filling by mixing the sugar, egg yolks, flour, cornmeal, salt and vanilla essence. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Whisk in the milk and heat gently until it thickens. Add the egg yolk mixture, whisking to avoid lumps. Remove from heat.
Beat the egg whites until glossy, stiff peaks form and fold into the custard mixture. Pour this into the pie crust. Bake in the lower third of the oven for about twenty-five minutes, or until the top is golden-brown. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg, and allow to cool completely. Serve with berries or other fruit.