Mattentaart Recipe from Geraardsbergen Belgium |
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Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes |
Ready In: 60 Minutes Servings: 10 |
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If you're lucky enough to visit Belgium and come across a genuine Mattentaart, you're in for a treat. The addition of eggs and a touch of ground almond or almond essence to the cheesecake mixture produces a flavor that's surprisingly complex for something so simple... and the puff pastry adds a delightful, tender crunch, far better in its way than the usual cheesecake crust. Ingredients:
4 cups milk |
2 cups buttermilk |
3 1/2 ounces sugar |
3 eggs |
1 teaspoon almond essence |
2 sheets premade puff pastry |
Directions:
1. Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy pan. When it's boiling, add the buttermilk and stir well. The mixture will curdle as you stir.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and prepare a fine sieve by lining it with a linen dishtowel or double layer of cheesecloth. Place the sieve over a deep pot and pour the curd mixture through it. Allow to drain in a cool place for at least twelve hours. (Stir or loosen the curds occasionally if necessary to help them drain.).
3. When the curds have drained, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. In a food processor, or with an electric beater, beat together the curds, egg yolks, almonds and sugar. Fold the egg whites carefully and evenly into the mixture until completely incorporated.
4. Preheat the oven to 400F / 200°C Butter a cake pan / tin. Cut the puff pastry to fit: line the bottom of the tin with it. Add the egg / curd mixture. Place the second layer of puff pastry on top of the filling. Make several incisions on the upper pastry layer.
5. Put the tart in the preheated oven and bake at 400F / 200C for ten minutes. Reduce to a moderate heat (350F / 175C) and bake for a further fifteen minutes. Then raise the oven heat to 400F / 200C again for a final five minutes of baking.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.
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