Margarita's International Recipes

GREECE

Galaktoboureko Custard Pie This custard pie is pretty much what it sounds, semolina custard between two layers of phyllo dough. The custard itself is not very sweet, so the whole pie is sweetened by a syrup, which also keeps the phyllo moist. All in all, I thought it was OK but not great, and half of it has lingered uneaten in my refrigerator. Semolina can be substituted by cream of wheat in America. Custard Pie Ingredients For the custard 6 egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar 6 cups milk 1 1/2 cups semolina 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter For the pie 1 pckg phyllo dough, defrosted 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted For the syrup 1 cup sugar 1 cup water 2" lemon rind 2" orange rind 1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice Instructions Make the custard In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the sugar together. Set aside. Heat the milk over medium-high heat in a large heavy saucepan. Right before it starts to boil, add the semolina. Whisk well and reduce heat to medium. Whisk in a ladle of the hot milk with the eggs. Add the egg mixture into the milk on the stove and whisk well. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and the butter. Prepare the pie Butter a deep 9" x 12/13" baking dish. Roll out the phyllo sheets, and cut them in 2 horizontally, so that you end up with two stacks of 9" x 12" sheets. Wrap one of the stacks in wax paper or cover them with a moist towel to prevent drying. Place a phyllo sheet on the baking dish and brush with melted butter. Repeat with other phyllo sheets until you've used all the ones in one of the stacks. Place two phyllo sheets horizontally on top of them, so that part of the sheets drape over the dish, brush with butter. Pour the pudding over these sheets and spread evenly. Fold the phyllo flaps on top of the pudding. Cover the pudding with the second stack of phyllo dough, place one or two sheets at the time, and brushing with butter between them. Preheat oven to 350F. Put pie in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove from freezer and score the top of the pie, making sure it doesn't reach down to the center. Place in the oven and cook until browned, about 45 minutes. Let cool. Make the syrup Meanwhile, bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small pan, over medium-high heat. Add the rinds and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, remove rinds and mix in the lemon juice. Set aside to cool. Finish the pie Pour the syrup over the pie evenly. Serve. Adapted from a recipe at About.com Greek Recipes | Margarita's International Recipes | Marga's Food Blog | E-mail