Cue Up The Episode!

1. Make sure to listen to Kate's episode of the Storied Recipe Podcast while you make this dessert! Episode 146: Christmas Desserts From Around the World Series, Episode 3 Christmas in South Africa.

Prepare the Peppermint Crisp Bar

1. Crush the Peppermint Crisp or Aero bar by placing bars in a Ziploc bag and crushing with a rolling pin.
2. If you can't find Nestle Peppermint Crisp Bars or Peppermint Aero Bars, you have at least 3 choices.
3. 1) Make peppermint bark. Begin by placing mints in a Ziploc bag, then crushing them with a rolling pin. Melt chocolate in microwave in 20 or 30 second intervals. Place parchment paper in a cookie sheet. Pour melted chocolate onto parchment paper and spread in a thin layer. Cover with crushed mints. Place in fridge for at least 60 minutes or until firm.
4. 2) An easier approach would be to take Peppermint candies and semi-sweet chocolate and toss them in the food processor for a few pulses.
5. 3) A similar approach would be to take a rolling pin to a bag of candies and grate the chocolate.

Prepare the Caramel or Dulce de Leche

1. If using Sweetened Condensed Milk to make the Dulce de Leche (See Note 1), remove the paper, especially the glue from the cans of sweetened condensed milk. It is very important to remove the glue, otherwise your pot will have a ring of sticky residue that is very difficult to remove later.
2. Fill a pot with water and place cans inside the pot.
3. Boil for 3 hours, replacing water if necessary so that the cans remain submerged.
4. Very important: Let the caramel cool completely before opening the tin. This may take several hours or overnight. You can speed up the cooling process by putting the can in cold water.

Whip the Cream

1. Pour two cups (496mL) of whipping cream into a glass bowl.
2. Mix on high until the cream is light and airy. Peaks should hold just softly.

Make the Tart

1. Choose your vessel depending on how many layers you'd like in your tart, from a 9x13 pan, a bread pan, decorative container, trifle bowl, or individual serving glasses. If you'll want to remove the tart from the pan for serving, line them with plastic to help remove the pudding.
2. Place a layer of biscuits along the pan. If they don't fit, use a serrated knife to cut them to cover the pan in one layer.
3. Add a layer of caramel.
4. Add a layer of cream.
5. OR you may first mix the caramel and cream to make one layer.
6. Then a layer of broken peppermint crisps.
7. Repeat as desired, and according to the size of your container.
8. Place in a fridge overnight. Can be frozen until needed. If you will be displaying the tart outside of its pan, you'll have to freeze it before removing. Defrost in the fridge for several hours, until whipped cream softens, before serving.
9. Garnish however you'd like with any combination of chopped mints, drizzled caramel, mini chocolate chips, and/or fresh mint.