Cremora Tart

It has been far too long since my last blog post! What better way than to come back with tales of my lovely Christmas at home, and sharing a summery Christmas pud.

Would you be surprised if I told you by the end of the day I was literally STUFFED! Christmas day has always been a favourite of mine; not necessarily for all the presents, but more for the lavish spread my family always puts on. Although there is only a handful of my family left in South Africa, the lavish spread has not been compromised!

I am a big believer in Christmas at home; I understand after many years this novelty can wear off on the customary Christmas Cooks out there. This year, I made a deal with my family; if we had Christmas at home, I would do most of the cooking.

Our Christmas eating started with a refreshing and festive prawn cocktail.

Our main meal consisted of a 3.3kg leg of lamb, a beautiful roast chicken stuffed with apple and sage, roasted fresh mixed vegetables and boiled baby potatoes dressed in garlic butter, fried onions and parsley. This was served with a side of traditional gravy, creamy cheese mushroom sauce and some mint sauce.

To finish off our Christmas lunch we had little desserts of coconut clusters, mince pies, cheesecake, mini koeksister balls and Lindt chocolate. The main dessert was a homemade Cremora tart – it was light, cool and perfect for a summer lunch. There was suppose to be traditional fruit cake and custard and/or ice-cream, however when the time came, we could barely eat what was laid out. Luckily when you have Christmas at home, Boxing day is the leftover day!

It is sacrilege not to end the day with that ‘Christmas day feeling’ – full to the brim, satisfied and merry. As my ‘belated’ Christmas present to you, here is my mom’s Cremora tart recipe that is incredibly easy to make. It's a dessert that will leave everyone wanting more (even if they can’t find space in their belly, they will make room for it). The bonus with this summery dessert is it can be made a day or even a few hours ahead.

Cremora tart

Ingredients:

1 Small tin of granadilla

1 Tin condensed milk

1 ½ Cups Cremora powder   

½ Cup Lemon juice

½ Cup ice cold water

1 Packet of Tennis Biscuits (or digestive biscuits)

100g Butter (optional)

Instructions:

Base:

You can either:

Lay your Tennis biscuits in a square dish. Put the biscuits next to each other, in one single layer.

Or:

Crush the Tennis Biscuits until fine, melt butter and mix together the butter and crushed biscuits. Neatly pack the crushed biscuits in a dish. Make sure the base is thin and compact – no holes. To make sure you have a crispy base, you can place the base into the oven 180° for 10 minutes. Leave to cool for 15 minutes before adding filling.

Filling:

In a bowl mix the following in this order, one after the other.

Cremora powder

Ice water

Condensed milk

Lemon juice

Once all ingredients are mixed together, beat until mixture becomes thick.

Place filling on top of the base.

Place your tart in the fridge to firm up for about 1 - 2 hours.

Finishing touches: Open your can of granadilla and spread evenly and thinly on top of your tart.

Tips: Don’t over beat the filling mixture.

         You can get creative with the type of topping you want – it doesn’t necessarily have to be granadilla – you can use strawberry – just ensure that whatever canned topping is put on is thickened.