Sunday spoil: Peppermint crisp milk tart

By chef Bradley Wright, Capsicum Culinary Studio Durban campus

You’ll need: For the base – 150g plain flour; 75g unsalted butter; 50g icing sugar; 1 egg yolk, beaten; 50g Peppermint Crisp, chilled.

For the filling – 500ml fresh milk; 28g butter; 20g flour; 25g corn starch; 100g white sugar; 2 large eggs; 1 tsp vanilla essence.

For the topping – 50g Peppermint Crisp, chilled; 1 tsp ground cinnamon (or more if preferred).

How to:

For the base

Place the flour, unsalted butter, icing sugar and peppermint crisp chocolate in a food processor and blend in a short burst until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Tip into a bowl, add the beaten egg yolk and mix to form a dough. If the dough looks too dry, add 1 tbsp water. Shape the dough into a ball, flatten it out into a disc, wrap it in cling film and chill for at least 30 mins before using. Pre-heat oven to 200°C.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out evenly on a floured surface. Grease a flan pan with butter (or use Spray and Cook) and dust lightly with flour. Gently place the rolled-out dough into the pan and neatly shape it into the corners.

Use a fork to poke holes in the base of the base. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Once rested remove from the fridge and place the greaseproof paper in the tart shell and cover with baking beans (or you can use uncooked rice).

Bake for 10 minutes, remove greaseproof paper and baking beans and bake for a further 5 minutes or until golden brown. Turn off the oven and leave the base in the oven for 10-15minutes, then remove and place on a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, make the filling.

For the filling:

Place a saucepan over medium heat and add the milk and butter and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. In another bowl, mix the flour, corn starch, sugar and vanilla essence and whisk in eggs until smooth.

Gently whisk the mixture into the saucepan making sure there are no lumps. Return the saucepan to the stove and keep stirring constantly until it starts to bubble. Cook for about 5-6 minutes. Pass through a strainer to get a smooth texture

To assemble, pour the still-warm custard into the baked pastry shell ensuring that it spreads evenly. Allow to set and cool completely. In a bowl finely grate the Peppermint Crisp and mix with the ground cinnamon and then sprinkle over the top of the tart. Use a stencil to make it look even more fabulous!

Details: www.capsicumcooking.com