Mint Crisp Pie Part Deux on Like Mam Used to Bake

I posted a recipe for Mint Crisp Pie last year and I think it has been possibly the most popular recipe on the blog so far, if feedback is anything to go by.  It is a traditional South African pie but I posted a recipe for my own makey up version.  Girlwiththeskew-earring, a South African now living in Ireland, left me a comment with the recipe she used at home.  She also promised to send me on some Tennis biscuits and Peppermint Crisp bars used in the South African version.  True to her word I received a beautifully packaged parcel yesterday.  As we are in the midst on an indian summer this week I thought it would be the perfect treat to make now, not too heavy for the warm weather.  I’m going to hand you over to Girlwiththeskew-earring, as she was kind enough to write a guest post to accompany her recipe.

“I am not exactly certain when I decided that I loved the actual taste of this tart because I fell in love with the Idea of using a WHOLE tin of caramel in a dessert recipe first.  My Brother and I used to be sugar fiends, you see, sneaking into the kitchen and carefully opening a drawer to get a teaspoon out so I could rob a spoon full of sugar from the sugar bowl without my mother knowing. Sneaking a spoon of condensed milk was even better. Like a little spoon of heaven.

We used to have our annual family holiday over December, which is summer in the Southern Hemisphere, and my Dad had a cousin who lived in Durban (a city by the sea) who we would visit for two weeks over Christmas. And since we lived in the suburbs of Johannesburg the nearest coastal town was a 6hr drive away. It was always my favourite time of year cos I would get to spend my birthday on the beach as my special birthday treat.  And while I was laying on the beach roasting away on the sand or swimming in the sea, my Aunt would make this for me so that we could eat it when we got home in the late afternoon.

From the first time that she made it for me (my mom would NEVER waste a whole can of caramel on one dessert), I was totally in love with its creamy sweetness.  And my aunt would keep the tin for me (with a bit left in the bottom) so I could lick the can out. This became her present to me. Every year, when we would go down for our hols, on my birthday she would make this tart for me. I loved her for it.

It’s one of those desserts that is refreshing, light, sweet and disgustingly rich and downright decadent all at the same time.  And it never lasted more than a few hours after we got home… since it was my birthday I could pretty much do and eat what I wanted.  So when I make it I can remember the cloying humid coastal air weighing my every breath, the salty taste of the seawater still in my hair, the sand in my costume, and the hot bright lazy days that made our annual holiday so good.  It brings back memories of my uncle Snoopy (real name Richard, but he didn’t like Dick as a nickname) coming round with his guitar and sitting around the Braai (BBQ) late at night and singing, while the adults sat around drinking cold beers and warm wine.  In South Africa we called it Kuiering (kay-er-ing – means visiting) when you ‘pull in’ for the evening and you don’t go home until the sun comes up the next morning , but you don’t get drunk.  It’s all about maintaining a bit of a buzz, which is a dying art in this age of instant gratification.

This is my aunts recipe:

Ming’s Peppermint Crisp Caramel Tart

1 x Packet of Tennis Biscuits (with 6 kept aside for family members who insist on sticking fingers into every ingredient “to taste it”), crushed finely.  Beat the stuffing out of them with a wooden rolling-pin, or use a food processor, whichever floats your boat.

100g Butter (the salted stuff), melted

Juice of half a lemon (no pips please)

1 x Tin of Condensed Milk * See LMUTB’s notes at the end

250ml Cream

2 Peppermint Crisps Crushed Fairly Finely

Mix the melted butter into the crushed Tennis biscuits until the crumbs are nicely coated.

Add the lemon juice and mix well.

Using the back of a spoon and your fingers (which you’ve washed) press the crumbs into the base and sides of a pie dish firmly.  Set aside.  The saltiness of the butter, the tartness of the lemon juice and the sweet roasted flavour of the biccies compliment each other nicely.

In a bowl beat/whip/dominate the cream until it’s stiff, but not butter.  In another bowl stir the caramel** until it’s soft and silky and runny, add in 1 and a half packets of the crushed peppermint crisps.  Mix lovingly.  (Try to avoid abandoning your hard work to go sit in a quiet corner and eat the peppermint caramel with your fingers.)  Fold the caramel in the cream gently until just mixed.

Pour the cream/caramel mix over the biscuit base, sprinkle with the leftover peppermint crisp crumbs and refrigerate until the middle is nicely set (about 3 hours or as long as you can hold out).  If you are feeling really, really into it, feel free to decorate the edges of the pie with whipped cream (or just the really hand stuff that comes out of a can).

Serve with Earl Grey tea or really good coffee.  Preferably that somebody else has made.  Cos it’s always better when someone else makes you a cuppa, unless it’s my brother, who thinks that any hot drink needs more milk than hot water and enough sugar so your spoon can’t touch the bottom of the cup.”

Thanks so much to Girlwiththeskew-earring for a wonderful guest post. x

LMUTB’s Notes:

* Place the tin of condensed milk, still sealed, into a large saucepan.  Cover completely with boiling water and place a lid on the pan.  Allow the pot to simmer over a low heat for 3 hours.  Check every now and then to ensure the tin remains completely submerged in water, top up if necessary, this is very important to stop the tin exploding.  For reals.  Yiz have been warned.  After 3 hours carefully remove the tin from the water and allow to cool completely before using.

**I added a couple of tablespoons of the whipped cream to the caramel and then whipped quickly with a hand held electric mixer to lighten it up a little to make it easier to fold through the whipped cream.

When I tasted the biscuit base I was a bit dubious that it would work with the creamy, minty filling.  It has quite a zesty kick thanks to the lemon juice.  I shouldn’t have worried because they actually worked really well together.  I can’t describe it properly other than to say it just works.  I had two whole slices just to be sure *cough*.  The Peppermint Crisp bars are absolutely delicious.  The centre is chewy and minty and the chocolate is smooth and creamy.  Completely and utterly moreish.  I will definitely make this version again during the warmer months as the base is so light and refreshing and the lemon cuts the richness of the creamy filling perfectly.  I think I will also continue to make my own version.  The chocolate monster in me just won’t give up that base, and I also like the layers of caramel and cream.  If you would like to try out Girlwithaskew-earrings recipe check out Jabula for Tennis biscuits and Nestle Peppermint Crisp bars.