Subject: Belgica Tart
From: Renata
Date: 11/1/2020, 10:31 AM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
On 11/1/2020 7:32 AM, Renata wrote:
Hello
I was doing a search for my daughter regarding the Belgica Tart
and found correspondence between yourself and Dom in 2014. You
were correct in thinking that the Belgica Tart was created by
the Vanslembrouck family in Durban, South Africa.
My grandparents (Joseph and Agnes) owned the Belgica Hotel and
my father (Hugo) was the head chef of their Rubenshof restaurant
at the hotel. Right next door was the family bakery named
"Cest si Bon" and this is where the Belgica Tart was created.
Unfortunately my father passed away 3 years ago and my uncle
(Werner, who also worked in the family business) passed away in
December. I was a young girl when they closed the business to
concentrate on Arriba Chocolates and the exact recipe has passed
with them.
If my mum is able the find the recipe in my dad’s handwriting I
will gladly share it with you.
Kind regards
Renata F. (Vanslembrouck)
Hello Renata,
Thanks for writing! I would love to have the original recipe. When I read your email, my curiosity
was stimulated, so I searched the web to see if I could find any new information about the Belgica
tart. I was surprised to find two recipes on Facebook, plus a scan of an old newspaper clipping of
a recipe that was printed in the "Natal Mercury." See these pages:
Durban Down Memory Lane: Natal Mercury recipe
Keenan Blake's Kitchen
Granny Mouses House/Ouma Muis se Huis
That previous correspondence is at: 11-07-2014
Phaed
Hello Phaed
Many thanks for helping me. I think the Durban Down Memory Lane is the correct one.
My dad never put rolled oats in the topping as in the other recipes.
One of our retired bakers is still alive and lives in Belgium. My mum will contact
him and ask whether he recognises the recipe.
Kind Regards
Renata F
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Belgica Tart (From the Natal Mercury)
Preheat Oven to 180°C
20 cm diameter pie plate and baking tray
Pastry (paté sucrée)
1 C. (250 ml) Sasko Vitamin Enriched Cake Flour (SEE NOTE 1)
63 ml (1/4 C) Castor sugar
60 g Cold butter, chopped
2 Egg yolks
10 - 20 ml iced water
Method:
* Sift the flour, add sugar, butter and egg yolks.
* Using fingertips or a knife, blend the ingredients
together, adding water, if necessary.
* Line pie plate with pastry.
* Pick the base and refrigerate for 20 mins before
baking blind.
Confectioner's Custard
63 ml (1/4 C) Sasko Vitamin Enriched Cake Flour (SEE NOTE 1)
63 ml (1/4 C) Custard powder
63 ml (1/4 C) Corn Flour
125 ml (1/2 C) Sugar
200 ml Cold milk
500 ml (2 C) Boiled milk
2 Eggs, beaten
7 ml Vanilla essence
Method:
* Mix the flour, custard, corn flour and sugar with
the cold milk to form a smooth paste.
* Add boiled milk and cook until thick.
* Whisk in eggs and cook for a minute or two, stirring
all the time,
* Pour filling into cooked pastry shell and allow to set.
Topping:
312 ml (1/4 C) Sugar (SEE NOTE 2)
250 ml (1 C) Coconut
1 Egg
83 ml (1/3 C) Water
125 ml (1/2 C) Nib nuts (SEE NOTE 3)
Method:
* Combine above and spread on a baking tray.
* Toast until pale brown in colour stirring occasionally.
To Finish:
Top cooled custard with stiffly whipped cream and coat
carefully with topping.
NOTE 1: "Sasko" was/is apparently a South African brand.
Just use whatever brand of cake flour is available.
NOTE 2: This cannot be correct. 312 ml of sugar does not equal 1/4 cup.
Perhaps it should be either 312 ml = 1 1/4 C
OR
63 ml sugar = 1/4 cup.
I have no idea. Use your own judgement.
NOTE 3: "Nib nuts" just means "chopped nuts". It could be almonds or
walnuts or pecans or whatever. The other two recipes for this
tart call for pecans, so....
