Festive Gingerbread Milk Tarts

I'm a big fan of Christmas and all the delicious treats that come along with it. But here's the thing: I love mince pies, fruit cake, gingerbread biscuits… but sometimes it feels like we're not celebrating our unique South African flavor as much as we could be!

This year, I'm ditching the mince pies for our very own South African version: the festive milk tart created by Kate Tin! These gingerbread milk tarts have a sprinkling of spices and an infusion of orange zest and bay leaves—and of course, it's not a milk tart without the cinnamon topping!

GINGERBREAD PASTRY
250g cake flour
5ml cinnamon
2.5ml ground ginger
2.5ml freshly grated nutmeg
60g Molasses Sugar
120g salted butter, coarsely chopped
3 large egg yolks

Step 1:Combine flour, spices and Molasses sugar in a food processor

Step 2: Add butter and process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Step 3: Add the yolks, process until combined. Add a little drops of water to make sure everything is combined.

 

Step 4: Tip out the pastry together to form a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Step 5: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

 

Step 6: Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to 5mm thick and line 8, x10 cm loose-bottomed straight-edged tart tins. Trim the edges with a sharp knife and refrigerate to rest (1 hour).

And 

 

Step 7: Blind-bake the tarts by placing a piece of baking paper in the lined tart tins and fill with dry beans, rice or baking beads. To wieigh down the bottom. Bake for 8-10 minutes until light brown and crisp, then remove baking paper and weights and bake for a further 5 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

 

Milk Tart Filling 

MILK TART FILLING
950ml milk
Zest of 1 orange
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
3 large eggs
225g Caster Sugar
50g cake flour
50g cornflour
20g butter
10ml ground cinnamon

Step 1: Saucepan over a medium heat, bring the milk, zest, cinnamon and bay leaves to just before boiling point, remove from the heat and allow to infuse for 30 minutes.

Step 2: In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, flour and cornflour until well mixed.

 

Step 3: Strain the hot milk gradually into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.

Step 4: Return the mixture to the stove and whisk constantly until it thickens, then add the salted butter and mix.

Leave to cool before pouring the mixture into the cooked tart shells. Allow to cool before sprinkling liberally with the cinnamon.

 

 

Reference:Kate tin maket