Bouille

This Malian dish is a traditional dish of the Malian desert. Bouille is a French word that means "burnt milk cake." The original tart had a thick, sugar cookie-like crust with a soft custard filling in the middle. This delightful dish is made with a few simple ingredients, including milk, eggs, butter, sugar, and vanilla.

Melktert is an Afrikaner dessert consisting of a custard-filled pastry crust made with milk, flour, sugar, and eggs. The milk-to-egg ratio is higher than traditional Portuguese custard or Chinese custard, resulting in a lighter texture and a stronger milky flavor. It is often referred to as "a complete dessert." The name is from a pidgin version of the milk tart. It doesn't take long to make this delicious tart dessert because ingredients can be obtained from your pantry.

Ingredients:

Filling

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup cold salted butter, cubed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crust

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup salted butter, cubed
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• Sweetened sliced strawberries
• Garnish: confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

• Whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt in a medium saucepan. Beat milk, cream, and eggs until smooth. Cook over medium heat, constantly whisking, until mixture is thick, about 10 minutes. Remove and immediately stir in the butter and vanilla. Spoon mixture into a medium glass bowl, cover with cling film and let stand at room temperature until cool.
• Mix flour, sugar, and baking powder until blended. Add butter. Beat until mixture resembles coarse flour. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• Whisk together eggs, yolks, milk, and almond extract in a small bowl. Use a fork to stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture.
• Knead the dough with your hands until it forms a ball, forming a disc. Wrap tightly in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly spray a 9-inch deep cake dish with baking spray with flour. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to the prepared cake plate, pressing the bottom and topsides. Spoon the custard into the crust. Fold the edges of the dough over the filling towards the center.
• Bake until the crust is golden brown and the center of the filling is slightly raised.
• Serve with strawberries. Garnish with confectioners' sugar, if desired.