Milk Tart in South African Style

Ingredients

• 1 round puff pastry (32 cm diameter)
• 35 g flour
• 3 tbsp cornmeal
• 2 tbsp vanilla pudding powder
• 1.2 l milk
• 100 g fine sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 vanilla bean (split, seeds scraped)
• 2 tsp butter
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 2 egg whites
• a pinch salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon powder (for sprinkling)
• parchment paper
• legumes (for blind baking)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 220°C.

2. 2.

   Place the puff pastry on parchment paper in a tart pan, press the edges firmly. Prick several times with a fork. Lay another sheet of parchment over the dough and cover with legumes. Blind bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove the legumes and parchment. Bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Let the base cool.

3. 3.

   Meanwhile, mix the flour with cornmeal and pudding powder for the filling, whisking into a smooth paste with a little milk. In a pot combine the remaining milk with sugar, egg yolk, vanilla seeds, and the cornmeal paste. Cook over medium heat while stirring constantly until it boils, then simmer gently for 3 minutes.

4. 4.

   Remove from heat, stir in butter and baking powder. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to stiff peaks. Fold the meringue into the hot pudding mixture and pour the filling into the pastry shell.

5. 5.

   Let everything cool completely and serve sprinkled with cinnamon.