South African Milk Tart

Pie form and alternatives — I used a 24 cm (9.45 inch) in diameter by 3 cm(1.18 inch) tall round ceramic baking dish, but a springform cake tin will also work. If you want to make individual milk tarts, a muffin tin works well.
Puff pastry — In South Africa, you will often find milk tart sold at bakeries or bakery counters that use puff pastry instead of Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Tart Dough). If you decide on this version, you must blind bake the puff pastry as described in the recipe using sweet pastry. You will need extra pie weight or rice to properly weigh it down and increase the cooking time by 5 minutes.
No-bake crust — Another popular version is using a biscuit and butter crust instead of baking a tart case. For this, you can use classic Tennis biscuits or Biscoff biscuits. Crush up the biscuits and mix with melted butter until you have a texture similar to wet sand. Press it into your baking form or pie dish of choice before chilling in the fridge to set. Once set, pour in the hot custard and then return to the refrigerator to set.
Cinnamon — If you love cinnamon, use a cinnamon stick to infuse the milk before cooking the custard. If you don't fancy cinnamon that much, skip it and sprinkle with cocoa powder or a fresh grating of nutmeg. Note that cinnamon is what gives it its unique South African flavor.
Storage instructions — Store in the fridge in an airtight container or wrap with cling wrap. Consume within 4 days. Not suitable for freezing.

Tips for success

- Keep your pastry cold at all times until baking it to ensure the best texture.

- Slowly heat and continuously whisk the custard to avoid lumps and setting issues.

- Let the tart cool down completely in the fridge before attempting to slice it.
- To save time, bake the crust up to four days ahead of time and keep sealed airtight at room temperature.

See post for dietary substitutions and variations.

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