Crust-less Milk Tart (Korslose Melktert)

Most bloggers keep an eye on the search keywords people use to find their sites. For some time now this blog has received quite a few visitors who were actually searching for the crust-less version of the traditional South African milk tart. Who am I not to bow to the demand so here is the recipe for the crust-less version.

In all honesty I have to say that I still prefer the original version with a crust but that is just my opinion. I have to say that the slight lemon taste to this version is very nice and it is definitely worth a try if you have never made it before.

Heat milk, cinnamon, lemon zest and butter to boiling point, remove from heat and leave it to stand for 20 minutes. Mix flour, sugar salt and baking powder together. Whisk the egg yolks. Sift milk mixture and add to the beaten egg yolks. Whisk the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Add almond essence. Place mixture back on the heat and bring to boiling point again. Stir this mixture continuously until it has boiled. The old people will tell you that this should be stirred with a wooden spoon, I really cannot see that making a difference.

Grease a pie dish with soft butter. Sprinkle a bit of cookie crumbs into the bottom of the pie dish (I used Marie biscuits). You could use oats, muesli or bread crumbs for this purpose. Do not sprinkle lots of crumbs as the idea is not to have a crust, you only want to add a bit of crunch to the tart.

Whisk egg whites with a drop of lemon juice added until the egg whites are stiff. Whisk the tart mixture to remove any lumps that might have formed. Fold the egg whites into the mixture. Pour the tart mixture into the pie dish. Sprinkle the top with the fine cinnamon. Bake for 30 minutes at 190°C. Switch off the oven and let the tart cool off in the hot oven for a further 15 minutes. Serve the tart hot or at room temperature.

This recipe yields enough for 2 x 228mm (9″) pie dishes.

Happy eating!