Eggless Milk Tart with Brown Butter Crust

Do you remember the Baking Eggless group I started three years back? Last September I stopped the challenges temporarily as I wanted a short break. After so many requests from reader and members, I started it again this month. If you are active on Facebook, then you would have noticed my announcement. For the first month, Vimala, a member of the group and an active blogger suggested this milk tart recipe from Martha Stewart. This sounded very good for a sweet reopening. So the challenge was posted and many members have joined the group. Even if this group helps a single person to find the way to bake without eggs, I would be very very happy.

This milk tart has a crust and a filling. While the crust is super crispy and buttery,  the filling is so soft and melts in your mouth. To set the filling eggs are used in the original recipe and our challenge was to substitute the eggs. Here is what I did to replace eggs. I used corn flour and maida in the filling to firm up the mixture and it worked very well. The proof is that my daughter came to me for a second slice. Beware, this is a very heavy dessert with loads and loads of butter and cream. But you will love it if you are like me.

The crust is blind baked first until golden. To blind bake, I used cow peas/ thatta payaru. While the crust is in oven, prepare the filling so that both of them cool at the same time making it easy for you to assemble. The tart need to be refrigerated at least for 3 hours or overnight to set it. And the original recipe used cinnamon to sprinkle over the tart whereas I used cocoa powder as no one at home likes the intense cinnamon flavour. The secret of a crispy flaky crust is in mixing the butter. Do not mix butter throughly. And let the dough be crumbly for the perfect crust.

Recipe Source: Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

For The Crust:

Dark Brown Sugar-2 tbs

Flour/ Maida-1 1/4 cups

Salt-1/2 tsp

Cold Butter-1/2 cup

Ice Cold Water-3 tbs

For The Filling:

Milk-1 cup

Fresh Cream-1 cup

Vanilla Bean- 1/2 Split and seeds scraped or Vanilla Essence-1/2 tsp

Granulated Sugar-1/2 cup

Maida/ Flour-2 tbs

Corn Flour-2 tbs

Salt-1/2 tsp

Cold Butter-2 tbs

Cocoa Powder to sprinkle

Procedure:

For The Crust:

In a food processor or mixer add 1/4 cup of flour, salt, brown butter and pulse until combined.

Add the remaining flour and pulse until combined.

Now cut cold butter into cubes and add to the flour.

Pulse until the butter is broken to pea sized pieces.

Add ice cold water and pulse until crumbly.

Place a cling wrap on counter and transfer the crust dough to it.

Shape it into a rectangle and cover it with cling wrap.

Refrigerate until firm for 30 minutes.

Dust counter with flour and place the chilled crust on it.

The dough must be firm yet should be able to roll.

Roll it into a disc of 13″, rotating it often to ensure that it does not stick.

Now roll the disc on the rolling pin and gently place it inside a greased 8″ spring form pan.

Adjust the disc so that it sits perfectly in the pan.

Squish the edges to create a pattern.

Refrigerate the crust for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 175°C.

Place a baking paper on the disc and fill it with baking beans. I used cow peas.

Bake the crust for 25 minutes with the peas.

Now remove the pan, remove the peas and the baking paper and return it to the oven.

Bake until golden. It may take 10 minutes.

Remove from oven, remove the outer ring and gently remove the crust from the base plate with a spatula.

Allow it to cool completely.

For The Filling:

While the crust is in the oven, let us make the filling.

Mix together milk, cream, corn flour, maida, sugar, vanilla bean or essence and salt in a sauce pan

Heat it and keep on stirring until it starts boiling and gets thick.

Pour the mixture through a sieve to get rid of all the lumps and vanilla pod.

Add cold butter and whisk until it melts.

Allow it to cool.

Arranging The Tart:

Once the crust and the filling are cool, place the crust on a serving plate.

Pour the filling into the crust.

Refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours or over night.

Sprinkle cocoa powder on top.

Slice it up and serve!!

Eggless Milk TArt

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Ingredients

  

For The Crust

• Dark Brown Sugar-2 tbs
• Flour/ Maida-1 1/4 cups
• Salt-1/2 tsp
• Cold Butter-1/2 cup
• Ice Cold Water-3 tbs

For The Filling

• Milk-1 cup
• Fresh Cream-1 cup
• Vanilla Bean- 1/2 Split and seeds scraped or Vanilla Essence-1/2 tsp
• Granulated Sugar-1/2 cup
• Maida/ Flour-2 tbs
• Corn Flour-2 tbs
• Salt-1/2 tsp
• Cold Butter-2 tbs
• Cocoa Powder to sprinkle

Instructions

 

For The Crust

• In a food processor or mixer add 1/4 cup of flour, salt, brown butter and pulse until combined.
• Add the remaining flour and pulse until combined.
• Now cut cold butter into cubes and add to the flour.
• Pulse until the butter is broken to pea sized pieces.
• Add ice cold water and pulse until crumbly.
• Place a cling wrap on counter and transfer the crust dough to it.
• Shape it into a rectangle and cover it with cling wrap.
• Refrigerate until firm for 30 minutes.
• Dust counter with flour and place the chilled crust on it.
• The dough must be firm yet should be able to roll.
• Roll it into a disc of 13", rotating it often to ensure that it does not stick.
• Now roll the disc on the rolling pin and gently place it inside a greased 8" spring form pan.
• Adjust the disc so that it sits perfectly in the pan.
• Squish the edges to create a pattern.
• Refrigerate the crust for 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 175°C.
• Place a baking paper on the disc and fill it with baking beans. I used cow peas.
• Bake the crust for 25 minutes with the peas.
• Now remove the pan, remove the peas and the baking paper and return it to the oven.
• Bake until golden. It may take 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven, remove the outer ring and gently remove the crust from the base plate with a spatula.
• Allow it to cool completely.

For The Filling

• While the crust is in the oven, let us make the filling.
• Mix together milk, cream, corn flour, maida, sugar, vanilla bean or essence and salt in a sauce pan
• Heat it and keep on stirring until it starts boiling and gets thick.
• Pour the mixture through a sieve to get rid of all the lumps and vanilla pod.
• Add cold butter and whisk until it melts.
• Allow it to cool.

Arranging The Tart

• Once the crust and the filling are cool, place the crust on a serving plate.
• Pour the filling into the crust.
• Refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours or over night.
• Sprinkle cocoa powder on top.
• Slice it up and serve!!