STATE OF THE TART

Right when you need the special kind of comfort that only a dessert from your childhood can provide, SA's Michelin-starred chef, Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, pays tribute to these beloved SA classics, so you can too

CREMORA TART

“In the 1980s, there was a TV ad doing the rounds in which a highly-strung man in a dressing gown was making a cup of coffee in the middle of the night. In a misplaced Brooklyn accent, he narrates his way through the process, until he can’t find the Cremora (a powdered, non-dairy coffee creamer). ‘Honey, there’s no Cremora in the refrigerator!’ he cries in the direction of the other room, to which his sleep-deprived wife replies, ‘It’s not inside, it’s on top!’ Echoing her words, he repeats, ‘It’s not inside its onnnnn … top.’ In those brief 30 seconds, a fairly successful dairy substitute was transformed into a household brand – and soon, a new fridge tart was born. To the Cremora tart virgin, the idea of a tart made of non-dairy coffee creamer might seem repulsive, but most people I know have succumbed to its pleasures with their first bite.”

Serves 8 to 10 EASY GREAT VALUE

Preparation: 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ resting time and overnight chilling time

Baking: 20 minutes

For the pastry:

cake flour 300 g

caster sugar 75 g

unsalted butter 150 g, cubed

free-range egg yolk 1

cold water 4 T

For the filling:

gelatine 2 t

Cremora 500 g

ice-cold water 1 cup

condensed milk 2 x 385 g cans

lemon juice 1 cup

lemon zest 2 T

For on top (not inside):

figs 6–8 honey