Select Page
Turmeric Milk Tart

Turmeric Milk Tart

by | Sep 23, 2017 | 0 comments

Turmeric is not the first thing you’d imaging putting inside a milk tart – and goodness knows that this might upset a few people but this turmeric milk tart, is rather special for me. Heritage day might mean braaing for most South Africans, but for me, it’s the day I dig out my maternal grandmother and great aunt’s tattered recipe books and make something that represents MY heritage – what makes me unique. This year, it is this turmeric milk tart; a spicy twist on my Nanna’s milk tart inspired with some other flavours that make me, me.

My maternal grandmother probably turned in her grave when I added turmeric, ginger and cardamom to her recipe, but it’s a nod to my most recently discovered roots. While digging up our family history, my father discovered that my great great great grandmother was from Mumbai – while travelling for work in India, my great great great grandfather fell in love with her and they moved back to Cape Town to get married and so the Williams family begun.

With my mom’s side being Afrikaans (the infamous Hildagonda Duckitt is in her lineage – the first women to write a cookbook in South Africa nogals too!) and my dad’s side being a mix of Welsh, some British and a dash of Indian, this recipe is an ode to MY heritage – and it just so happens to be delicious too (and trendy – golden milk is super fashionable!).

Turmeric Milk Tart

Makes 1

 

1 x 400g roll puff pastry, thawed

Egg white, to glaze

 

Filling:

500ml milk

1 cinnamon stick

3 green cardamom pods

6 black peppercorns

100ml (60g) cake flour

25ml )16g) corn starch

pinch of salt

60ml sugar

3 egg yolks

2 tsp turmeric (use fresh turmeric, if you can find)

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

pinch of ground nutmeg

1 tsp almond extract

165ml milk

10g butter

3 egg whites

40ml sugar

 

Cinnamon/turmeric for dusting

 

To make the tart case, line a 25cm tart tin (an enamel plate works well too) with the puff pastry, trimming off the sides to fit.. Measure the edge of the pan and cut another strip to fit. (if you want to make a braid, simply cut it in 3 and plait the strips). Brush a little egg white on the strip and press it onto the edge. Brush the base of the pie crust with egg white too. Refrigerate until needed. Preheat the oven to 260 °C (240°C if fan-forced). For the filling, bring the milk to a boil with the cinnamon stick, cardamom and peppercorns. In the meantime, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, sugar, egg yolks, spices, almond extract and remaining milk to make a creamy paste. Strain the hot milk over the paste, whisking continuously then return to the heat and cook until thickened. Whisk in the butter. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, gradually add the remaining sugar to form a glossy meringue then fold into the still-warm custard. Pour the mixture into the baked tart case and bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Lower the temperature to 200 °C (180°C if fan-forced) and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until wobbly but just set. Dust with ground cinnamon, if desired.

TIP Try and find an old-fashioned enamel ‘blik bord’ to bake the milk tart in – it really makes a big difference in making sure you don’t get a soggy puff pastry bottom! You can find them at flea markets and they’re dirt cheap.

Spiced Pear and Sweet Potato Cake with Muscovado Frosting

Spiced Pear and Sweet Potato Cake with Muscovado Frosting

by | Jun 13, 2017 | 0 comments

This cake is an ode to my favourite time of the year: autumn. When you eat it, you feel like you’re being wrapped in a warm, knitted jersey. It’s packed with spices, healthy things like sweet potato, pear, sultanas and almonds but my favourite part is the muscovado frosting – I absolutely adore proper, unrefined muscovado sugar – it’s dusky, molasses flavour adds an amazing depth of flavour to this not-too-sweet cake. It’s a little more expensive, but to me, it is worth every penny!

I’ve topped them with wafers of pears which, if you want to make your own, are very easy. Simply slice the pears very thinly (using a knife or mandlin) then lay them onto a silicone baking mat or baking paper and place them into an oven (with the fan on if you have) at 100 degrees celcius for 1 hour 30 minutes until dried out – they’ll keep in an airtight container for ages.

Speaking of pears, please tell me you noticed the mini ones?! ? Look how itsy bitsy they are?! Aren’t they the cutest! You can get them tinned from most supermarkets and let me just say, they can rescue ANY dessert. Serve them warm, in a bowl, with piping hot custard and you have instant dessert – and everyone will be so distracted by their cuteness they’ll forget you didn’t actually DO anything. Sometimes I’m so clever I astound myself, anyway, back to the cake. Make it. And if you want to up the adorable factor, this recipe would make uber-cute cupcakes too!

Spiced Pear and Sweet Potato Cake with Muscovado Frosting

Serves 10-12

 

210g butter, softened

270g demerara sugar

3 large eggs

180ml cooked and mashed sweet potato

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g self-raising flour, sifted

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

120g finely grated pear, squeezed well

1/2 cup sultanas (optional)

75g flaked almonds, toasted

 

Frosting

200g butter, softened

2-3 tbsp boiling hot water

175g muscovado sugar

200g icing sugar, sifted

250g smooth cream cheese

 

Molasses Drip

55g white chocolate

1/4 cup (60ml) cream

4 tbsp (60ml) molasses

1 tsp vanilla extract

 

Tinned baby pears, granola and pear chips, to decorate

 

Preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line 3 x 20cm sandwich cake tins. Cream the butter and demerara sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well in between each addition. Beat in the sweet potato and vanilla. Combine the self-raising flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices and stir into the cake batter. Stir in the grated pear, sultanas and flaked almonds then divide between the 3 tins and bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes, comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool, upside down, completely then remove from the tin. For the frosting, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Pour the boiling water over the muscovado sugar to dissolve (pop in the microwave for a few seconds if needed) then allow to cool. Add the cooled muscovado syrup to the butter with the icing sugar and beat until combined. Mix in the cream cheese. Sandwich the cakes together with the frosting, leaving enough to cover the top. To make the molasses drip, combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat until melted. Allow to cool to room temperature before using. Spread the drip mixture over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Garnish with tinned baby pears, granola and pear chips.