Melktert

Introduced to the southern tip of Africa during the 17th-century colonial era and adapted by cooks there, the melktart — or milk tart — is a cousin of the custard tarts that have been made in various parts of the world for centuries.

This recipe for the traditional South African dessert features a sweet pastry shell filled with vanilla and rooibos tea custards — plus a macadamia nut brittle for a satisfying textural contrast.

Melktert was the Technical Bake for Coffee & Tea Week in Season 8 of The Great Canadian Baking Show.

Melktert

Special Equipment

• 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom

Ingredients

Pâte Sablée:

• ½ cup (75 g) toasted macadamia nuts
• 2¼ cups (320 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (57 g) icing sugar
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 6 tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tsp water plus more if needed
• Pie weights or dried beans

Tea Milk Custard:

• 1¼ cups 3.25% milk
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, divided
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp (14 g) cornstarch
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ⅓ cup rooibos tea

Vanilla Milk Custard:

• 1 vanilla bean
• 1¼ cups 3.25% milk
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, divided
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp (14 g) cornstarch
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter, cold

Rooibos Macadamia Nut Brittle:

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• ½ tbsp golden corn syrup
• ¼ cup rooibos tea
• 1 cup (150 g) toasted macadamia nuts
• ½ tsp salt

Garnish:

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Orange and yellow edible flowers

Preparation

Preliminary steps:

Heat oven to 375 F with the rack in the middle position, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Spread 1½ cups (225 g) macadamia nuts in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and place in the freezer to cool.

In a small bowl, steep ⅓ cup (30 g) loose-leaf rooibos tea in 1 cup boiling water, about 5 minutes.

Strain the tea through a small fine-mesh sieve set over a measuring cup, pressing on the leaves with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Set aside.

Pâte Sablée:

Pulse ½ cup (75 g) cooled macadamia nuts in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add flour, icing sugar and salt, and pulse until combined. Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. In a separate bowl, mix egg and water, then add it to the food processor and pulse until a dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead a few times until the dough comes together, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed. Loosely wrap in plastic wrap, flatten into a ½-inch thick disc and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll the dough out so it’s about ¼ inch thick. Press it into the tart pan, trimming any excess. Dock the pastry all over with a fork and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Remove the tart shell from the freezer. Cover the surface with parchment paper and fill the shell with pie weights. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake until golden and set, 30 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment and continue to bake until light golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Freeze until completely cooled.

Tea Milk Custard:

Bring milk, ¼ cup (50 g) sugar and cinnamon sticks to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs with remaining ¼ cup (50 g) sugar, then whisk in flour, cornstarch and salt. Add tea and whisk until combined. 

Remove cinnamon sticks from the milk. Whisking constantly, slowly add about a third of the milk into the egg mixture. Then pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk and set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl. 

Line a quarter-sheet pan with plastic wrap, and pour the custard on top. Press a sheet of plastic wrap onto the surface of the custard and refrigerate until cold to the touch. 

Fit a large piping bag with a large round tip, or cut the tip of the bag to make a 1-inch hole. Put the custard in a bowl and stir to loosen, then transfer to the prepared piping bag. Pipe the custard into the cooled pie shell. Press a sheet of plastic wrap onto the surface and chill the tart while you prepare the vanilla milk custard. 

Vanilla Milk Custard:

Use a paring knife to split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. 

Bring milk, vanilla seeds and pod, and ¼ cup (50 g) sugar to a simmer in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes, then remove from heat.

Whisk together egg and remaining ¼ cup (50 g) sugar in a large bowl until the sugar is dissolved, then whisk in flour, cornstarch and salt. 

Whisking constantly, slowly add about a third of the milk into the egg mixture. Then pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk and set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl. Whisk in butter. 

Line a quarter-sheet pan with plastic wrap, and pour the custard on top. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate until cool. 

Fit a large piping bag with a large round tip, or cut the tip of the bag to make a 1-inch hole. Put the vanilla custard in a bowl and mix to loosen, then transfer to the prepared piping bag. Pipe the vanilla custard on top of the tea custard and smooth with an offset spatula. Chill the tart in the freezer while you prepare the garnish. 

Rooibos Macadamia Nut Brittle:

Line a quarter-sheet pan with parchment paper, and grease a rubber spatula with cooking spray.

Roughly chop remaining 1 cup (150 g) nuts and set aside. Place sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan and pour the tea around the edges. Cook over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 300 F. Brush the edges of the pot with water to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Working quickly, remove from heat and stir in nuts and salt. Immediately scrape the brittle onto the prepared sheet pan and use the rubber spatula to spread the brittle into a single layer. Set aside to cool. 

Break the cooled brittle into pieces and reserve eight to 10 larger pieces for decoration. Pulse the rest in a food processor until coarsely ground.

Assembly:

Remove the tart from its pan and place on a serving plate. Sift cinnamon on top and sprinkle the ground brittle around the edges. Place flowers and the larger pieces of the brittle on top of the ground brittle.

Makes one tart