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Sweets: Galaktoboureko (Custard Filled Phyllo Pastry)

Source of Recipe

Nancy Gaifyllia


List of Ingredients

6 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of semolina (fine grind), cream of wheat, or rice flour
1/2 teaspoon of grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
6 cups of whole milk
1/2 - 1 cup of butter ; melted
1 pound of commercial phyllo dough sheets ; defrosted
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For the syrup:
1 1/3 cups of sugar
3/4 cup of water
1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 slice of lemon peel


Recipe

Make the syrup: In a saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil over medium-low heat. Add the lemon peel, reduce heat to low, and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add lemon juice (do not stir) and set aside to cool.

Make the filling: With an electric mixer on high speed, beat 2 eggs with 1/3 the sugar until light and frothy, add 2 more eggs and another 1/3 of the sugar, and repeat.

Continue beating for 2 minutes. Add the semolina, lemon juice, and grated lemon peel. Continue beating and add the milk and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Beat for another 5-6 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Preheat the oven to 355F (180C).

Pour the filling into a pot and heat over medium-low heat. Stir vigorously with a whisk until it thickens to the consistency of ketchup (or puréed baby food). Remove from heat immediately and set aside.

Make the dessert: (Use an 11-inch diameter round baking pan or equivalent.) Brush the bottom, sides, and rim of the pan with melted butter. Open the phyllo dough and count the sheets. Half will be used on the bottom, half on top.

Lay one sheet of phyllo on the bottom of the pan, starting at one side and letting excess phyllo extend over one side. Brush the phyllo on the bottom of the pan with butter. Lay another sheet over the first, brush with butter, and continue until half the phyllo sheets have been used.

Spoon the filling on top of the bottom layer of phyllo sheets, spreading evenly so it covers the bottom out to the sides with no gaps and no air bubbles.

Note: If you are inexperiened with phyllo, check the photos that follow the folding, buttering, baking, and adding syrup.
Fold in the extending pieces of phyllo over the filling one at a time (they will cover about half the pan) brushing each with butter until all are folded in. Fold in corners as well so all the phyllo is inside the pan and brushed with butter.

Using the remaining phyllo sheets, place them one at a time on top of the filling, extending out the side opposite the bottom sheets. Brush each with butter, then one at a time, fold in the extending pieces butter the tops. When all the phyllo has been folded in and corners folded in, brush the top with butter.

Cut the galaktoboureko into serving-sized pieces (I cut 20) using a very sharp knife to cut all the way through to the bottom. The phyllo and custard filling are delicate so cut with care. (I use a razor to do the first cut and then follow up with a knife. I've also heard that some use an electric knife.)

Bake at 355F (180C) for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and pour the cooled syrup evenly over the hot pastry. Pour up to and around the edges. Set aside and allow to cool and absorb the syrup (a few hours). Serve sprinkled with cinnamon if desired.

Yield: 20 pieces