Milk Tart, or Melktert

A milk tart, or "melktert" in Afrikaans, is a sweet, sweet custard pie.  Made with lots of eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar, what's not to like?  This is the last of my South African desserts (at least for awhile), so eat it up!

This treat has all the glory of a delicious pie crust, and all the velvety sweetness of a custard.  And it's delicious warm or cold.  (I served it warm out of the oven, and then I continued to eat it chilled out of the fridge.)  My recipe is adapted from an Epicurious version--a website for which I am ever grateful.

I'm shocked by my own oversight, but I don't think I've featured a Nirvana song on this blog.  As a girl who once baked a birthday cake for Kurt Cobain (I confess!), I've done one of my oldest and best-loved bands a disservice.  Here's Nirvana's "Milk It."

Ingredients:
--1 pie crust, rolled and trimmed (god, don't buy one!  Use my pie crust recipe, found on my pecan pie post)
--2 c. whole milk
--1 cinnamon stick
--4 eggs, separated
--1/3 c. all-purpose flour
--1 tbsp. cornstarch
--1/3 c. granulated sugar
--1/2 tsp. baking powder
--pinch of salt
--2 tbsp. unsalted butter
--1 tbsp. vanilla
--1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
--1 tsp. ground cinnamon (for dusting)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a 10" tart pan, lay pie crust and press into edges.  Poke a number of fork holes in the bottom and bake at 400 degrees F for 7-9 minutes, or until the crust starts to bubble just a little bit.  Remove and allow to cool (but leave the oven on, reducing the heat to 350 degrees F).

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat 1 1/2 c. milk and the cinnamon stick over low heat until it just reaches a boil.  Set it aside for 15 minutes and allow the cinnamon to infuse into the milk.

In a large bowl, beat together the 1/2 c. milk that remains, along with the 4 egg yolks (make sure you've separated the eggs!), the cornstarch, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Remove the cinnamon stick from the milk, and whisk in the egg yolk mixture.  Return to the saucepan to a low-medium heat, and cook, whisking constantly, until the custard thickens (about 5-7 minutes).  Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla and the butter.

In a separate bowl, beat the 4 egg whites with the cream of tartar until they form stiff peaks, just like this:

The cream of tartar adds volume to the egg whites, just fyi.  Fold the egg whites into the custard, and pour the mixture into the pie crust.  Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F, then reduce heat to 325 degrees F and bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until the custard has set.  Remove from heat and immediately dust with ground cinnamon.  Serve!

Squash, Chèvre, & Bacon Fusilli

Driving to Pittsburgh earlier this year, a GPS mishap led to the discovery of Delallo, one of the most glorious indoor markets I've ever encountered in America.  In addition to a seemingly mile-long olive bar and to-die-for desserts, they also make fresh pasta.  With all of the farmer's market veggies I've been buying, I decided to use Delallo fusilli to make a summer squash pasta with applewood-smoked bacon and sweet heirloom tomatoes.  And what could make those ingredients better?  Some fresh chèvre, of course!

This pasta is so delightfully summer.  To accompany it, here's Durutti Column's "Sketch for Summer," live in Madrid (1983).

Ingredients:
--1 lb. fresh fusilli (or any other pasta you like!)
--8 strips extra crispy applewood-smoked bacon (Evan smoked ours on the grill, but any crispy bacon will do)
--2 yellow squashes, chopped
--2 ripe heirloom tomatoes, chopped
--2 tsp. fresh lemon thyme (I grow this in my garden, but you should be able to find it almost anywhere)
--1/2 cup crumbled chèvre (a.k.a. goat cheese)
--3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
--1/2 tsp. salt, + extra for cooking pasta

First thing's first: smoke the bacon.  There's an art to smoking, and we're coming close to mastering it! Soak your wood chips (we used applewood), and light your charcoal.  When the grill it hot, pour the wood chips over the charcoal.  Lay your bacon across the cast iron grates and close your smoker.  The bacon should smoke for approximately 15 minutes, but monitor it--when it's crispy, it's done.  Crumble the bacon and set aside.

In a large saucepan, saute the yellow squash in extra virgin olive oil.  Add the lemon thyme and salt.  The lemon thyme adds a really nice, crisp citrus flavor.  Saute for approximately 10 minutes, or until soft.  Remove from heat and add heirloom tomatoes.

Boil water for pasta and add salt.  Cook fusilli for 2-3 minutes (if fresh).  Otherwise, follow pasta instructions (you know the drill-usually 7-9 minutes, depending on the pasta if you like it al dente).  Strain the pasta once cooked and add to the veggies.  Mix in the bacon, then add the chèvre and mix well.  The chèvre will coat the pasta like a delicious, creamy sauce.  Serve warm or chilled.

Koeksisters (Two Ways)

Koeksisters: one of the sweetest, gooiest, and chilliest treats from South Africa (the Western Cape, in particular).  Essentially a small braided doughnut, this dessert is fried, soaked in a lemon-spiced simple syrup, and then stored in the fridge.  The outside is crispy and sugary sticky, and the inside is cold, soft, and oh-so-good.  I adapted my recipe from Cape Town Magazine.

And what did you hear?  Koeksisters two ways?  Yes, sir!  This dessert is typically fried and then drenched in sugar syrup, but the recipe made enough dough that I decided to bake half and then soak them in leftover rooibos syrup from my Rooibos & Honey Poached Pears.  In option #2, they're softer in texture, but equally sweet and scrumptious.

I should have saved Dave Rawlings' "Sweet Tooth" for this song since these koeksisters are sure to quell your sugar cravings.  But remember I mentioned that these treats are chilled?  Here's My Morning Jacket's "Chills" from the At Dawn & Tennessee Fire Demos.

Ingredients:
*Note: You'll need to make the syrup at least 6-8 hours ahead of time so that it chills properly.

Traditional Syrup:
--3 1/2 c. granulated sugar
--2 1/3 c. water
--1/2 tsp. salt
--2 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
--juice and zest from 1 lemon
--1 cinnamon stick

Rooibos Syrup (optional):
--2 c. granulated sugar
--1 c. water
--6 rooibos tea bags
--1/2 c. honey
--1 cinnamon stick

Dough:
--3 1/2 c. self-rising flour
--3/4 c. cornstarch
--1 tsp. salt
--3 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter
--1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
--1/4 c. granulated sugar
--3/4 c. whole milk
--1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
--2 large eggs
--canola oil for frying (you'll likely need about 3 c.)

[I know some of these numbers look a little funky--the small price we pay for a recipe originally in metric!]

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine all syrup ingredients.  Whisk together.  Bring to a boil, or just until the sugar has all dissolved in the water.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until syrup has thickened.  Strain the cinnamon stick and refrigerate for 6-8 hours (you'll need this to be very cold for the koeksisters).

In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, milk, cream, and eggs until light colored.  In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and sift.  Slowly add to the wet ingredients.  Add the butter and knead it in.  Refrigerate in cling wrap or wax paper for 30 minutes to 1 hour (basically, until firm enough to roll out).

On a large surface, roll out dough to about 1/2" thick.  Cut into 1/2" strips (yes--1/2" thick and 1/2" wide), and braid the dough, pinching together at the top and bottom.  Cut the braided strips into approximately 3" braids and set aside.  (Note: if you're doing the koeksisters two ways, you're only going to deep fry half of these.)

In a large saucepan, heat canola oil to approximately 360 to 375 degrees F.  If you don't have a candy thermometer, you'll keep the heat over medium-low, and you'll know the oil is ready when you drop in a small piece of "test dough" and it sizzles, floats to the surface, and begins to turn a golden color.  If the oil is too hot, the dough will begin to burn, and if it's not hot enough, the dough will stay at the bottom and become oil-logged (yuck--you don't want this).

Now here's the sort of tricky part.  Remove the cold syrup from the fridge.  You need to keep this super cold while you're frying the koeksisters.  I used a second bowl of ice water (mostly ice) and set the syrup bowl on top.  Fry the koeksisters for about 2 minutes per side (or until golden colored).  You'll need to flip them only once.  Don't overcrowd the oil--only cook 3 to 4 pieces of the braided dough at once.  Then with a slotted spoon, remove the koeksisters and drop them into the chilled syrup.  Allow them to sit in the syrup for 5 minutes apiece, then transfer them to another container for refrigeration.  Repeat until you've used up all the dough you set aside for frying.

For koeksisters two ways, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  On a parchment-lined baking sheet, bake the remaining braided dough for about 7-8 minutes per side (you'll need to flip them so both sides are a little bit crispy).  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Now, I already had a lot of extra rooibos syrup from my Rooibos & Honey Poached Pears, but you can easily make your own rooibos syrup, sans pears, for this recipe.  Combine the syrup ingredients over medium heat until the mixture begins to boil, or the sugar and honey have dissolved entirely into the water.  Reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes--you want to infuse the red tea.  Then, remove the tea bags and cinnamon stick.  Allow the syrup to cool, and transfer to a separate container.  Drop the baked koeksisters into the syrup and refrigerate overnight.  Delicious!  (And equally delicious when served with a dollop of whipped cream, hint hint.)

Rooibos & Honey Poached Pears

And served with homemade cinnamon whipped cream?  Mmmmm.  Rooibos is a red tea that's grown in South Africa.  You can certainly buy it in America, but you'll find a lot more rooibos-based treats and beverages in Cape Town and Johannesburg.  In fact, I had a creamy rooibos tea at the indie favorite Labia Theatre while catching a screening of the recent Jozi Film Festival documentary, Orania.

My love for tea, combined with the delicious wine-poached pears I continued to encounter on South African dessert menus, led to this creation.  And they're really, really good.

To accompany these rooibos pears, here's Cat Stevens's "Tea for the Tillerman."

Ingredients:
Pears:
--4 pears, cored and halved
--2 c. granulated sugar, + 1 c. to thicken the syrup later
--2 c. water
--1/2 c. honey
--1 cinnamon stick
--6 rooibos tea bags

Whipped cream:
--1 pint heavy whipping cream
--1/4 c. dark brown sugar
--2 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients for the pears (except the reserved 1 c. of sugar) and heat over medium until the sugar and honey have dissolved.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for approximately 30 minutes to infuse the rooibos flavor.  You'll want to keep the pears submerged during the simmering--I place a small plate on top of them (make sure you use one that can withstand the heat).

Remove the pears and add an additional 1 c. granulated sugar.  Continue to simmer until the sugar has dissolved.  This will thicken the syrup so you can use it as a sauce.  Once the sugar has dissolved, allow the syrup to cool.  Refrigerate it with the pears, and drizzle over each pear half when serving.

The cinnamon whipped cream is optional, of course, but it's also delicious.  In a medium-sized bowl, combine the heavy whipping cream, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Beat until you've reached your desired consistency.  Serve a scoop with each pear half.

Malva Pudding with Amarula Cream

In South Africa, I tried quite a few versions of Malva Pudding.  It's a sweet, spongy cake made with apricot jam and soaked in a caramel sauce.  Before traveling to Johannesburg and Cape Town, I'd had Malva Pudding at Charlottesville's South African restaurant, Shebeen.  But the Malva Pudding at Gramadoelas and Hussar Grill were to die for.  Although I'd always rather be eating Malva Pudding in the proximity of the Newtown Market Theatre, I knew I'd have to try my hand at this dessert when I got back to Virginia.

To make my own version, I combined elements from a New York Times recipe and a few different South African cooking blogs.  Usually, Malva Pudding is served with ice cream or a creme anglaise.  I thought I'd try something just a little bit different, and I made a whipped cream flavored with Amarula.  If you haven't tried it before, Amarula is a South African cream liqueur that tastes a little like Bailey's, but it's made with the South African Marula fruit.  It'll go fantastically with your Malva Pudding.

By now, I'm sure you've heard of the documentary Searching for Sugar Man.  It tells the (truly) unbelievable tale of a South African record store owner's search for Rodriguez, a Detroit-based musician from the late 1960s/early 1970s.  Rodriguez recorded two albums in America and never found popularity here, yet unbeknownst to him, his music had become the soundtrack for Apartheid-era resistance in South Africa.  Here's Rodriguez performing "Sugar Man."

Ingredients
For the pudding:
--1 c. granulated sugar
--2 large eggs
--2 tbsp. apricot jam
--1 tbsp. melted butter, unsalted
--2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
--1 c. half & half
--1 c. flour
--1 tsp. baking soda
--pinch of salt

For the sauce:
--1 c. granulated sugar
--1/4 c. water
--1 tbsp. butter
--1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
--1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the whipped cream:
--1 c. heavy whipping cream
--1/2 c. Amarula liqueur
--1/4 c. packed dark brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, beat the wet ingredients for the pudding (including the jam) until combined.  In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Gradually beat it into the wet mixture until combined.  Pour the batter into a 9x12" buttered baking dish, and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.  Allow the cake to cool down until it's just warm.

For the sauce, heat the granulated sugar and water over medium heat in a saucepan until the sugar is incorporated and the mixture begins to turn a light brown (but not burned!).  Add the butter until melted, whisking constantly (the mixture will begin bubbling when you add the butter).  Standing a bit away from the pan (you don't want to get splashed!), add the heavy cream and vanilla.  Continue to whisk constantly until the cream has incorporated and you've got a delicious caramel syrup.

Pour the syrup over the cake evenly.  The cake will soak it up like a sweet sponge.  Allow it to sit for approximately 1-2 hours, or until the syrup has hardened a bit, caramelizing the edges of the Malva Pudding.

Now for the whipped cream.  In a medium-sized bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream, Amarula, and brown sugar until the mixture forms stiff peaks (about 5 minutes, depending on your speed).  Serve on top of the warm Malva Pudding, and enjoy!

Granadilla Custard Tart

Passion fruit in America, or granadilla in South Africa.  Either way, what a sinfully delicious fruit.  Since returning from South Africa, I can't stop thinking about all the delicious food and the amazing restaurants in Johannesburg and Cape Town.  This tart is my own creation, with a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  It has the consistency of Gramadoelas' creme caramel in Jo'burg, and its name is more an homage to the delicious treats at the Queen of Tarts in Cape Town's Observatory.

In Virginia, it's too early in the summer to buy fresh passion fruit.  But lucky for me, Whole Foods sells granadilla juice, imported from South Africa.  For the coming months of warm weather, this is a perfect chilled treat.  (It's pretty easy to make, too.)

Let me take this opportunity to introduce you to a South African political post-punk band made famous in Jameson's, a bar in the Johannesburg CBD.  From a live album recorded at Jameson's (and available for purchase at the African Music Store), here's the Cherry-Faced Lurchers' "Do the Lurch."

Ingredients:

--1 c. crushed honey graham crackers

--2 tbsp. unsalted butter

--1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

--3 tbsp. light brown sugar

--14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

--4 large egg yolks

--1 tsp. vanilla extract

--1/2 c. + 2 tbsp. granadilla juice

--1-2 tbsp. turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor, combine the graham crackers, butter, lemon juice, and brown sugar.  Pulse until the mixture starts to pull on the sides.  Place in a 9" pie dish and push along bottom and sides until you've created a graham crust.  Bake for 7-9 minutes at 350 degrees F (don't let the crust start to brown!).  Remove and allow to cool.  Leave the oven heated to 350.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, vanilla, and granadilla juice until combined.  Pour over graham crust and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle turbinado sugar on top.  Allow to cool, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.  

Cuban Burrito Bowl

While doing research at Indiana University's Lilly Library in Bloomington, I had a delicious lunch at Laughing Planet Cafe.  I was delighted to see a Cuban Burrito on the menu and promptly ordered it in a bowl.  When I returned to Virginia, I decided to make my own version.

The Laughing Planet Cafe uses pulled pork in their burrito bowl, but I decided to take advantage of the pork loins at Charlottesville's recently opened Trader Joe's (finally).  I glazed it with a paprika and curry powder blend.  Combined with a kiwi and mango fruit salsa, along with roasted plantains and sweet potatoes, this burrito bowl was a huge hit.

The song choice is going to be an obvious one, I'm warning you.  Here's the Flying Burrito Bros.' "Hot Burrito #1"(I know you'll love Gram Parsons).

Ingredients:
--1 boneless, center-cut pork loin
--1 tbsp. olive oil
--1 tbsp. paprika
--1 tbsp. curry powder
--1/2 tsp. salt
--1 ripe mango, chopped
--3 ripe kiwis, chopped
--1/2 a small jalapeno, chopped very finely
--1 c. cooked black beans (you can use canned)
--2 very ripe plantains, sliced
--2 sweet potatoes, skinned and chopped
--2 c. brown rice, cooked
--1/2 c. sour cream (for topping)

In a cast iron pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Rub the pork loin in the paprika and curry powder.  Over medium heat, sear each side of the pork loin until a bit browned (about 4-5 minutes each side).  Transfer to oven at 375 degrees F and roast for 35 minutes, or until a thermometer reads 145 degrees F.  Remove from oven and cover with foil.  Leave the oven on for the plantains and sweet potatoes, and allow the pork to sit for 10 minutes, covered with foil, before slicing.

After 10 minutes, slice and chop the pork for the burrito bowl.

On a parchment-line baking sheet, roast the sliced plantains and sweet potatoes at 375 degrees F for approx. 20 minutes, or until soft.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the mango, kiwi, salt, and jalapeno.  Mix and set aside.

Arrange each burrito bowl individually: add rice and sliced/chopped pork loin, then top with black beans, plantains and sweet potatoes, and finally with the fruit salsa and sour cream.  After serving, mix up and eat!