Granadilla Fridge Tart

the South African no-bake classic: layers of tennis biscuits under a set filling of condensed milk, cream, and tart granadilla pulp, chilled rather than baked

Origin: South Africa

From the journey of Passion Fruit.

South Africans call the passion fruit the granadilla, from the Spanish for 'little pomegranate', and it has been a fixture of gardens and kitchens across the country since colonial horticulture brought the vine at the turn of the twentieth century. The fridge tart, or koelkastterte, is one of the most characteristic forms of South African home baking: a dessert built in layers in a dish and set in the refrigerator rather than the oven, which suits a hot climate and a domestic tradition founded on the tin of sweetened condensed milk. Biscuits (the rectangular, coconut-flecked tennis biscuit is the canonical choice) are layered with a filling of condensed milk beaten with cream and something sharp, and left overnight, during which the biscuits soften into something close to sponge. Granadilla is the sharp element par excellence: intensely acidic and powerfully perfumed, it cuts the richness of the condensed milk in a way that nothing else quite manages, and its black seeds speckle the pale filling. Made for Sunday lunches, braais, and church bring-and-shares, the granadilla fridge tart is a dessert of pure practicality and pure nostalgia, and it appears in almost every South African family recipe book.

Ingredients

Base

200 g tennis biscuits or Marie biscuits

Filling

395 g sweetened condensed milk (1 tin)
300 ml double cream
180 ml granadilla pulp (from about 8 passion fruit, or 1 tin granadilla pulp)
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

To Finish

2 tbsp granadilla pulp, to finish

Method

Line the base of a rectangular dish (about 20 x 25 cm) with a single close-packed layer of biscuits, breaking them to fit the gaps.
Whip the cream to soft peaks. In a separate bowl, whisk the condensed milk with the lemon juice and vanilla; it will thicken noticeably as the acid works on it. Fold in most of the granadilla pulp, then fold in the whipped cream.
Spread half the filling over the biscuit layer, add a second close layer of biscuits, and top with the remaining filling, smoothing the surface.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, and preferably overnight, until the filling is set and the biscuits have softened to a cake-like texture.
Just before serving, spoon the reserved granadilla pulp over the top so the seeds glisten across the surface. Cut into squares and serve cold.

Notes

Tinned granadilla pulp, sold throughout southern Africa, is entirely traditional here and many households use nothing else; fresh fruit gives a brighter flavour and better seeds. Adjust the lemon juice to the sharpness of the fruit, keeping in mind that the acid is doing structural work as well as flavouring. The same method makes the country's other beloved fridge tarts with peppermint crisp, lemon, or pineapple, and the filling alone, spooned into glasses, makes a quick granadilla pudding.

The Gastrographer

Name: Granadilla Fridge Tart
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 6 h 20 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: South Africa
Ingredients: 200 g tennis biscuits or Marie biscuits; 395 g sweetened condensed milk (1 tin); 300 ml double cream; 180 ml granadilla pulp (from about 8 passion fruit, or 1 tin granadilla pulp); 3 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 2 tbsp granadilla pulp, to finish

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control