The Melktert Saga

If you follow me on Facebook you would have seen that for Shavuot I was going to make a melktert (this one from FB). Well I did, except it did not set. The custard part is supposed to set enough that you can cut the tart into slices. Mine was still liquid enough that you had to eat it with a spoon in a bowl.

So I was chatting to some friends about it and they suggested that I freeze it and make ice cream, so I popped it into the churner and a yummy melktert ice cream was born.

Below is the recipe I used, I’m not sure if it was the recipe itself, the fact that I did it on the stove top and not the microwave or if it was the ingredients (Israeli not South African) I used that caused it not to set, so if you want to try it out as a traditional melktert give it a go, if it does not set then carry on with the freezing/churning part and make it into an ice cream like I did.

Ingredients

Base

• 125g
• 85g melted butter

Filling

• 1 can condensed milk
• 1 can milk
• 2 cans hot water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 eggs
• 6 tablespoons corn starch
• pinch of salt
• cinnamon

Method

Base

• Crush the biscuits either by placing in a zip lock bag and smashing with a rolling pin or by pulsing in a blender until the biscuits are crumbs.
• Mix the melted butter into the biscuits.
• Press the mixture into a greased dish and either bake for 8 min on 180°C or chill in the fridge for an hour.

Filling

• Combine all the ingredients in a microwave proof bowl.
• Place in microwave on high for 7 minutes, remove and beat.
• Microwave for 5 minutes, remove and beat.
• Microwave for 3 minutes, remove and beat.
• This could be where I went wrong, I didn’t have a microwaveable bowl so I heated the custard on the stove, stirring continuously for about 25 minutes.  It did thicken quite a bit.
• Let the custard cool down, stirring  occasionally so it doesn’t form a skin, alternatively cover the custard with cling wrap on the surface so the skin cant form.
• Once cool, pour into the dish over the back of a spoon so you don’t break the biscuit base.
• Sprinkle cinnamon over the top.
• Refrigerate for at least 3 hours so the custard sets.

Ice Cream

If your custard didn’t set this is the point where you turn it into ice cream.

• Pour the unset custard into your churner and churn as per instructions.
• Transfer the ice cream to a freezer proof bowl,cover and freeze until hard.
• If you don’t have a churner you can place the custard into a freezer proof bowl, cover and freeze for at least three hours, remove every hour or so and mix well so ice crystals don’t form.
• I scraped the biscuit base into the churner at the very beginning, you can leave out the base and crumble it on top after the ice cream is made or you can add half to the churner and half over the top later, totally up to you.

**I am going to attempt a new recipe for the melktert so watch this space!

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Marshmallow Ice Cream

I was given a KRUPS ice cream churner for my birthday and have been making the most amazing ice cream ever since.

Last night I made ‘The Michelin Man’ Marshmallow Ice Cream from a recipe in The Icecreamists recipe book Wendi gave me for my birthday.

Before I give you the recipe, please note that though making home made ice cream is very easy, it is time consuming and is not something that can be made on a whim. It takes at least 48 hours to make.

Mine doesnt look nearly as pretty as the pic in the recipe book, but Oh Em Gee, it tastes divine!!!

Ingredients

Ice cream

• 250ml full cream milk (I use 2%)
• 125ml double cream (I use 250g regular cream)
• 2 egg yolks
• 88g caster sugar
• 100g large marshmallows.

Ripple

• 50g small marshmallows
• 100g marshmallow fluff.

Method

• Bring milk and cream just below boiling in a pan. Mixture must steam but not boil.
  
• In a bowl beat egg yolks and sugar.
  
• Slowly add hot milk to egg mixture, stirring to ensure eggs don’t scramble.
  
• Return to pan and heat to steaming again.
  
• Stir large marshmallows into milk mixture until melted.
  
• Allow mixture to cool before placing in fridge for a minimum of 6 hours (12 hours is ideal).
  
• Once cool pour mixture into churner and churn as per instructions. If you don’t have a churner place in freezer proof dish and freeze, mix occasionally to disperse ice crystals.
  
• Once churned fold in small marshmallows and fluff.
  
• Freeze for a minimum of 2 hours before serving.

This particular recipe made about 1 litre of ice cream once it was churned.

Peppermint Aero Pudding

So this can work with Peppermint Crisps too but the shop didnt have any so I went with Aeros 🙂

Ingredients

• 1 x packet tennis biscuits
• 1 x 500ml cream
• 1 x tin caramel
• 2 x peppermint crisp/areo
• 1 x pyrex dish (preferable square or oblong)

Meathod

• Whip cream until very stiff
• Add caramel to cream and beat until mixed through.
• Layer biscuits to cover the bottom of the dish.
• Add a layer of cream mixture.
• crumble one chocolate over the cream.
• Repeat one more layer of biscuits, cream and chocolate.
• Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
• Eat and enjoy!

Microwave Condensed Milk Fudge

So, I got me a hankering for some fudge and after a quick google search came up with what looked like an easy and quick recipe and more importantly one I had all the ingredients for.

Ingredients:

• 125g butter/marge
• 2 cups caster sugar
• 1 tin condensed milk
• splash vanilla essence

Method:

• Before you get started, line a baking tin or tray with grease proof paper, this will help you to remove the fudge later without it sticking to your pan.
• Most importantly make sure that the microwavable dish you use is big, if you think your dish is big enough get a bigger one.  Trust me, its a bitch trying to clean sticky fudge batter that has boiled over off your microwave.
• Place butter and sugar into the bowl and give a small mix.
• Pour the condensed milk on top of the sugar and butter, dont mix.
• Add your splash of vanilla essence.
• Place the bowl in the centre of the microwave and set it for 10 minutes.
• Watching to make sure the mixture doesnt boil over, stop the microwave (without resetting your count down) after 1 minute has passed and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon.
• I used a wooden spoon to stir and then used a plastic spatula to scrape the mixture of the wooden spoon and back into the bowl.
• Place the bowl back in the microwave and let it cook for another minute.
• Stop the microwave and stir.
• Place the bowl back in the microwave and repeat above until the 10 minutes are up.
• I had to stop the countdown every 20 – 30 seconds after the 2nd minute because the mixture kept boiling up too high.
• Just keep an eye on your mixture and make sure it doesnt boil over.
• After the 10 minute count down is over spoon your mixture into your lined tin and refrigerate until set.
• Cut the cooled and set fudge into squares and enjoy!

*** I spread the fudge mixture too thin in the pan, next time I will use a smaller pan and make thicker fudge.  Also, use a bit of spray and cook on the bottom of the pan before putting in the wax paper, might make it a bit easier to remove from the pan.

The easiest yummiest cake recipe ever!

I have to thank my mommy-in-law for this one!

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What you will need:

Cake

1 x box/packet vanilla cake mix (I use Moirs)

1 x instant vanilla pudding (again Moirs but any brand will do)

4 x large eggs

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup oil

1 x mixing bowl

1 x Pirex or glass dish (oblong bakes more evenly than round)

Icing

1 x cup sifted icing sugar

4 tablespoons lemon juice

1 measuring jug

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How to make the cake:

Heat the oven to 180C

Pour dry cake mix and dry pudding into the mixing bowl, add the 4 eggs, add the water and oil.

Mix until smooth and there are no lumps.

Oil/butter/Spray&Cook your glass dish.

Pour batter into dish and bake at 180C for about half an hour.

Cake should be brown and springy to the touch.

While the cake is baking, sift the icing sugar into the measuring cup and add about 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and mix.

The mixture shouldn’t be too runny.

As soon as you take the cake out the oven pour the icing over the cake and spread it around so that it covers the whole cake.

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The cake can be eaten hot with custard or ice cream or if you prefer a cool cake, I suggest you make the cake a day before and let the icing sink into the flesh of the cake, this makes it sticky and gooey all the way through.

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An alternative to vanilla and lemon is chocolate and orange.  Substitute chocolate cake mix and chocolate pudding for the vanilla and use orange juice instead of lemon (be sure to strain the orange juice so it is clear and free of any pulp).