egg white whisked For brushing the puff pastry before refrigerating
Crust
125gbutter
½cupsugar
1large egg
2cupsflour
2 ½tspbaking powder
½tspsalt
2tbspsunflower oil
1tspvanilla essence
Filling
1ltmilk
6eggs
4tbspbutter
¾cupsugar
8tbspCornflour (Mezina)
8tbspflour
1tspalmond essence
½tspsalt
Instructions
Puff Pastry
Sift flour into a large bowl with salt, then grate in the butter and rub in quickly – you should still be able to see butter chunks.
Make a well in the center, and then add the liquid ingredients (except for the egg white and combine carefully roll out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 20cm x 50cm.
Fold a third of the pastry to the center, and then fold the other side over the first third then give the dough a quarter turn and roll out again, repeat twice, and allow to chill.
Roll the pastry out to 5mm thickness then line your bowl with the pastry, dock the bottom and then brush with egg white.
Place in the fridge until the oven is ready. Blind bake in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes at 200° C / 392° F Remove from oven and set aside.
Crust
Cream butter and sugar then add the oil and the egg.
Add the vanilla essence, finish off by adding the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt.
Work with your fingers until it forms a softball.
Press in the prepared pie dish of your choice, place it in the fridge until the filling has cooled off and the oven is ready.
Bake in the crust at 200° C / 400° F for 20 to 25 minutes, the filling will double in volume while baking, and don't worry, it will settle as it cools down.
For an UNBAKED CRUST, bake in the crust for 20 to 25 minutes at 204°-230° C / 400°-450° F, the filling will double in volume while baking and don't worry, it will settle as it cools down.
Filling
Bring the milk to a boil then add butter, add flour and cornflour in a bowl, add a little of the milk to form a thin paste .
Separate the egg yolk from the whites and mix the egg yolk and sugar, then add to milk.
Whisk egg whites not too stiff, then fold into the milk mixture.
Add in the almond essence and mix carefully, when cooled off a little, pour in the baked pastry or unbaked crust, smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
To serve
When cooled, sprinkle with cinnamon (cinnamon sugar optional).