What food do we all have in common as babies, no matter from which part of the world we come?
Mother's Milk of course.
As babies grow stronger, they are slowly weaned off nature's super-food and start drinking dairy milk - cow, goat, buffalo, and other animals. People who follow a plant-based diet would likely choose soy milk as that has proven to be the best for babies, but there are other products available as well.
Milk of course is widely used in cooking as well as baking, and really is versatile -
- white sauce and cheese sauce,
- creamy custard, and other milk-based desserts,
- beverages such as tea, coffee, and hot chocolate
- Ice cream, and milkshakes,
- Yogurt, and the list goes on and on!
Enough about the facts of life Milk and onto this week's 
Let me just say if my world was not as crazy over Christmas and New Year, I would most certainly have made something with Powdered Sugar for last week's challenge, as that is one of my favourites!
One last request
Our son and his girlfriend leaves for the Netherlands in exactly a week from now, and while they were here to spend their last Christmas and New Year with us, as citizens of their country of birth, they asked me to teach them to make an old-time favourite that they call Ouma's Milk Tart, but we were too pooped and ran out of time.
I also call it Ouma's Milk Tart, as my Mom in turn was taught by her mother, who of course is my Ouma, to make Milk Tart.
Sounds confusing but I'm sure you know what I mean😉
I've told before of how I used to stand on a chair from a very young age and help Ouma and my Mom, both who used to bake Milk Tarts for all family occasions and happily baked a couple of dozen Milk Tarts for church Bazaars each year!
I in turn did the same when I was younger, but now only bake for family and friends.
This is nothing like the traditional South African Milk Tart which is a milky egg custard filling baked in a flaky pastry.
My Ouma's recipe makes a crispy shortcrust pastry base which is filled with a delicious cooked fluffy egg custard filling topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon.
The beauty of this recipe is that the baked pastry cases can be frozen and filled when a quick teatime treat is required!
Here is the how-to:
MILK TART RECIPE
SHORTCRUST BASE
- 125 g Butter at room temperature
- 125 ml Sugar
- 1 extra-large Egg
- 500 ml Cake Flour
- 5 ml Baking Powder
- 2 ml Salt
Method:
Beat butter and sugar together.
Add egg and beat until light and fluffy.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together, add to the creamed mixture & knead to a smooth dough.
Spray 3 tart dishes with cookie spray and press the dough in using fingertips.
Bake at 180° C for approx 20 minutes or till light golden colour.
One can leave it in the pans, but it's more crispy if you carefully remove it and cool on a paper towel and a wire cake rack.
FILLING
- 1 litre Milk
- 175 ml Sugar
- 2 ml Salt
- 25 gram Butter
- 150 ml Cornflour
- 3 extra-large Eggs, separated
- 5 ml Vanilla essence
- Ground Cinnamon for sprinkling
Method:
Reserve a little milk, bring to boil remaining milk, butter and sugar together in a heavy-based saucepan - be careful of milk boiling over.
Mix to a smooth paste - cornflour, egg yolks, essence and reserved milk, and return to saucepan.
Boil until it just starts to bubble, stirring frequently with a whisk, remove from heat.
Beat egg whites till fluffy and fold into thick milky custard.
Ladle into cooked tart bases and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Leave to cool completely before turning onto a serving platter.
Yields 3 medium tarts
Time for tea or coffee and a delicious slice of Milk Tart to take you back to an era long lost.
Message to the kids
Remember, whenever you make this nostalgic treat, you're building new memories that will live on in those whose lives you will touch in this new land you're bravely moving to! Never forget your roots, and when you're feeling nostalgic, get out the Cinnamon, take a deep breath, and remember that place you once called home!
BON APPETIT EVERYONE!
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