This is a lovely recipe! I often return to time and again when I have the calories to spare.
Servings: 16 Makes: 2 Tarts
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Do NOT follow recipe in book it is wrong! I have corrected it here.
Tip 1: Only once milk tart mixture has cooked, may you now add your vanilla essence, followed by blending in your butter. Then using a stick blender as mixture further cools down (becomes easier to incorporate air into it). Run your stick blender at an angle incorporating enough air bubbles into filling. Do not over do! Or you will you will start losing air bubbles. Using the tip of your spatula, gently tip mixture out into pie foil plate guiding it out around sides of bowl using the tips of your spatula & incorporating as much air as you can gently easing the filling into pie foil plate & do not press down on top of mixture with spatula). Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Allow to cool and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight before serving.
Tip 2: Lovely if you grind a whole cinnamon roll to dust finished tarts with, which I find far superior than using bottled cinnamon powder. It will also enhance your custard if you include a whole rolled cinnamon when boiling your milk. You may also use cinnamon sticks to economize. Remove the cinnamon roll from your milk mixture once done, rinse it off and dry it out for later re-use such as curries etc.
Ingredients:
Pastry crust:
6 Tablespoons / 90 ml butter or use a hard margarine (May also economize by using ½ & ½)
2 Tablespoon castor sugar
180 ml Cake Flour (use your set of measuring spoons)
Generous pinch salt
Sift together flour, castor sugar & salt. Rub in butter till it forms crumbs. Knead dough to form a ball. Press pastry into a 23cm diameter tart foil or baking dish. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 8 minutes if you want a soft pastry & 10 – 12 minutes for a crispier shortbread one. Remove from oven.
Filling:
All measures are packed loosely & leveled off with the back of a knife “if not weighed” is baking law!
4 ½ cups (1,125 ml) milk
30ml butter
150g (200ml) sugar
76ml (38g) Cake flour
60ml (38 g) Corn flour
Pinch salt
Cinnamon roll
3 large eggs
15 ml vanilla essence
2.5 ml caramel essence
2 drops almond essence
1/2 a grated nutmeg
Cinnamon to dust
Method:
In 2 deep microsafe bowls. To the 1st one add your milk and bring to the boil.
To the 2nd bowl add the cornflour, cake flour, salt, sugar and crack over the eggs on the top of your dry mixture.
Stir dry mixture into eggs with stick blender or electric beaters switched off.
Once all is well incorporated, switch on machine and cream all together until you have a smooth lump free custard.
As soon as milk comes to a rapid, fast rolling boil, with beaters or stick blender running, pour hot steaming milk over creamed mixture whilst beating continuously until all the milk is incorporated.
Quickly, before it cools down, return to microwave and continue to cook on high (1000w oven) for a further 3-4 minutes. Remove and beat vigorously again.
Repeat same procedure until custard thickens and flour no longer taste raw.
Do this only until it reaches it’s thickening point and no more or the cornflour will lose it’s setting properties if you over cook the mixture.
I normally find that in a 1000 watt oven 3 – 4 times is enough.
Once cooked you may add your flavorings which will enhance the flavour of your custard.
Pour hot custard out into your pre prepared tart shells.
Dust with cinnamon and allow to cool.
Refrigerate overnight to allow to set.
Enjoy!