South African Milk Tart / Melktert

This recipe was adapted from Kook en Geniet and is a guaranteed favourite, warm or cold, on the tea table or for dessert.

Ingredients:

2 cups (500ml) milk
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup (62 ml) sugar
1 table spoon (12.5 ml) cake flour
1 table spoon (12.5 ml) corn starch (maizena)
1/4 tea spoon (1 ml) salt
2 table spoons (25 ml) butter
3 eggs (separate yolk and white)
Puff pastry (buy pre-rolled, frozen and thaw)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 C)
2. Boil milk with cinnamon stick in
3. Beat egg white until stiff and frothy
4. Mix sugar, flour, constarch, salt
5. Add warm mik slowly while stirring with wooden spoon (be careful not to create lumps)
6. Bring it to a slow boil and stir continuously for 5 minutes until it is thick and cooked (consistency of porridge)
7. Remove from heat, remove cinnamon stick and let mixture cool slightly
8. Beat the egg yolks and add
9. Fold egg white in until it is blended through
10. Line pie dish with puff pastry
11. Add filling.
12. Bake for 20 minutes in hot oven at 425 degrees F and reduce heat to 375 degrees F after the first 10 minutes.
13. Remove from oven, let it cool slightly and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the baked filling.
14. Serve warm.
    (Can also be served cold and can be frozen and warmed up again before serving.)