Milk Tart is a uniquely South African dish deliciously loaded with milk and sugar – in this case, condensed milk! This particular recipe, while perhaps perceived to be cutting corners, is in no way inferior. Tennis biscuits, condensed milk and reduced cooking time for busy moms … need I say more?

Here’s what goes in:

1 packet of tennis biscuits, crushed (200g)

1 tin of condensed milk (385g)

4 cups of milk

125g of butter, melted

100ml of corn flour (Maizena)

1 third-cup of water (80ml)

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

3 eggs

ground cinnamon, for dusting

How to do it:

For the base:

The easiest way to crush the biscuits is to empty them into a zip seal bag and gently crush them with a rolling pin or another suitably heavy object. Combine the biscuits with the melted butter in a mixing bowl.

Press this mixture firmly into a greased pie dish, with a diameter of approximately 23cm. Use the back of a metal spoon to smooth it down and then refrigerate the crust while you make the filling.

For the filling:

Combine the milk and condensed milk in a large heat proof mixing bowl and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add the corn flour to the water and mix thoroughly. Pour this into the milk mixture along with the vanilla essence and add the eggs one by one. Whisk this thoroughly and then return it to the microwave, cooking on high for another 5 minutes. Whisk it again, and repeat for another 3-4 minutes. After this time, the mixture should be very thick, and not at all runny.

Use a hand whisk and give it a thorough mix again. If you don’t think it’s thick enough, return it to the microwave for a minute or 2.

Once you’re happy with the consistency and you’ve made sure the mixture has no lumps, pour it over the base and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Sprinkle ground cinnamon over the top for that exceptional “Melktert” flavour!!