South African cinnamon milk tart (Melktert)

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C; roll out the shortcrust pastry, line a 24 cm tart tin with it, prick it, cover with baking paper and dried beans and blind bake for 15 minutes, then bake without the paper for another 5-8 minutes until golden, and let cool.

2. Heat the milk with the cinnamon stick and butter in a pan to boiling point, then leave to stand for 10 minutes and remove the cinnamon stick.

3. Whisk the eggs with the sugar, cornflour, flour and salt in a bowl until smooth.

4. Pour the hot milk onto the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly, then return it to the pan.

5. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 4-6 minutes until the custard is thick and glossy and bubbles; remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

6. Spread the hot custard into the baked pastry case, dust the top generously with ground cinnamon and chill for at least 3 hours until completely set.

Tip: Melktert (Afrikaans for milk tart) is a legacy of Boer-Dutch cooking and even has its own national day in South Africa on 27 February. The filling isn't baked, only the pastry is, which is why it's so creamy and soft. Don't skimp on the cinnamon on top; it is the hallmark of melktert.