I absolutely love the flavours of Milk Tart / Melktert, like most South Africans do. Creamy custard, sprinkled with oodles of cinnamon. This Milk Tart Panna Cotta is another of my variations of this classic dessert. And this one has a little boozy addition of Milk Tart cream liqueur. It's exceptionally yummy and definitely one to try for those who are gluten free as there is no pastry, unlike the original. I've added the alcohol free subscriptions to the recipe for those who prefer it. Either way, do give it a try. All the flavours of home that would perfectly fit into a sophisticated dinner menu too.
½CupMilk Tart Cream Liqueur*Or substitute with milk or cream
¼CupCastor Sugar*Increase to ⅓ Cup (60g) if not using liqueur
1Cinnamon Quill/Stick
4Large Egg Yolks
1tspVanilla Extract
3Gelatine leaves
Ground Cinnamon for dusting
Instructions
Submerge the three gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water and set aside near the stove
Place the egg yolks and vanilla in a bowl or jug, whisk to combine and set aside next to the stove
Add the cream, milk, liqueur, cinnamon stick and sugar to a saucepan and heat on medium, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved
When the milk and cream mixture is hot, just before boiling, pour it in a slow steady stream into the eggs while whisking vigorously as not to let the eggs scramble
Then pour the mixture back into the saucepan, remove the cinnamon stick and bring to medium heat. At this stage you need to stir gently but continuously until the mixture starts to thicken just slightly, resembling runny custard (This should only take around 3 - 5 minutes. The custard must still be runny and pourable)
Remove from the heat, squeeze the excess water from the gelatine leaves and add it to the mixture while quickly stirring or whisking until it dissolves
Finally, pour the mixture through a sieve/strainer into a jug and divide equally between the ramekins or moulds you want to use. This amount of mixture will yield 4 - 6 servings, depending on the size of your vessels
Let them cool for a few minutes, then place in the fridge to set for at least 4 - 6
Sprinkle the tops with as much or as little ground cinnamon as you like and serve
Notes
*The alcohol does cook out in this recipe, but if you'd like a version without, replace the liqueur with ½ Cup (125ml) of milk or cream. You will also need to increase the sugar to ⅓ Cup (60g) if not using the sweetened liqueur.Note: Feel free to use powdered gelatine if you prefer. I don't often use the powdered version, but as a general rule, two gelatine leaves is equivalent to one teaspoon of powdered gelatine. Remember that it must be fully dissolved. Please follow the packet instructions.