Make the curdled milk: bring three parts of fresh milk to the boil. Add 1 part buttermilk and a dash of vinegar. Bring again to the boil and simmer for about 10 minutes on a low heat. The milk will curdle. Let cool down for fifteen minutes. Place a muslin cloth in a large sieve and pour the substance into it. Hang the sieve over a deep pot to collect the moisture. Drain overnight in the refrigerator. The next day: turn the curdled milk through a stirring sieve with the grid with the largest holes.

curdled milk cakes - mattentaarten

3 l fresh milk 1 l buttermilk dash of vinegar 6 eggs 240 gr granulated sugar

ingredients - info 100 gr almond powder 1 packet of vanilla- flavored sugar 15 cl brown rum puff pastry apricot jam

Geraardsbergen (Province of East Flanders, Belgium) is the capital of the mattentaart. This pastry has a geographically protected status. The history of the mattentaart goes back to the Middle Ages. Research among 14,000 Belgians recently showed that the mat cake is the favorite regional dish of the Belgians. Similar dishes based on curds are also known in the neighboring countries.

Mix 500 gram matten (curdled milk) with a wooden spoon, with 6 egg yolks, 120 grams of caster sugar, 100 gr almond powder, a bag of vanilla sugar and half a glass of rum. Whisk 120 grams of sugar with the egg white of the 6 eggs until stiff and gently fold through the mixture. Butter and dust pie tins of 10 to 15 cm diameter. Press a sheet of puff pastry into the molds. Cover the bottom with a thin layer of apricot jam (this is not necessary, but it gives a special flavor effect). Fill up to 2/3 with the matten. Cover with a sheet of puff pastry, press well and cut a cross in the middle of the cake to allow the vapor to escape. Let the cakes bake for 15 minutes to 20 minutes at 220°C. Check with a skewer to see if the cooking is sufficient. Allow to cool completely. Unmold the tarts before using.