Text: Leila Saffarian. Assisted by Nomvuselelo MnCube. Photograph: Karl Rogers. Article from the July 2012 issue of Food and Home Entertaining Magazine.

Ginger milk tart with salted caramel macadamia nut brittle

Makes 1 large tart or 8 small tarts

A little effort 40 mini + 40 mins to chill

Pastry

500g (3 1/4 cups) cake flour, sifted

100g icing sugar, sifted

250g cold butter, cut into cubes

2 large eggs, beaten

15 – 30ml (1-2 tbsp) milk

Custard

2 large eggs

45ml (3 tbsp) cornflour

625ml (2 1/2 cups) milk

10g (1 tbsp) butter

250g tin of condensed milk

5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract

10ml (2 tsp) ground ginger

5ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon

Caramel

300g (1 1/4 cups) castor sugar

125ml cup) water

100g whole salted macadamia nuts

1. To make the pastry, combine the flour, icing sugar and butter in a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Add the eggs and milk to the dry ingredients and mix until the mixture comes together to form a soft, crumbly dough. Do not overwork the pastry as it will become chewy and tough. Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and put it into the fridge for 40 minutes to chill.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove the dough from the fridge and grease 8 x 10cm fluted tart tins. Lightly dust a work surface and roll the pastry out to fit the tins. Place in the tins, prick with a fork, cover with baking paper and baking beans and bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove the baking paper and bake for a further 5 minutes until the pastry is golden.
4. For the custard, whisk the eggs, cornflour and 1 cup of milk together.
5. Heat the remaining milk in a small saucepan. Add the butter and condensed milk, stirring continuously. Remove the milk mixture from the heat, add the egg mixture, vanilla, ginger and cinnamon, and whisk well. Return to the heat, whisking until the mixture thickens, about 8 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat when the mixture coats the back of a spoon and divide among the pastry cases.
7. For the caramel, combine the sugar and water in a non-stick frying pan and bring to the boil. Do not stir the sugar mixture; it should take 6 – 7 minutes for the caramel to form.
8. Remove from the heat, add the nuts, and pour onto a well-oiled tray to cool. Serve shards of caramel with the tarts. 

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