Traditional Greek Custard Pie (Galaktoboureko)
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- ½ small vanilla bean (split)
- ½ cup castor sugar
- ¼ cup fine semolina
- 2 eggs
- 30g unsalted butter
- ½ cup whole almonds ( blanched and skinned)
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 6 x 30 cm sheets Greek Filo Pastry
- 125g unsalted butter (melted)
Lemon Sugar Syrup
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cinnamon stick
Method
Preheat oven to 165°C.
Combine milk, vanilla bean and half of the sugar in a pan and bring to the boil. Sprinkle semolina into the hot milk and return to the boil, stirring constantly. Remove mixture from heat once it boils, and stir for 30 seconds as it thickens.
Whisk together eggs and remaining sugar. Pour hot milk and semolina mixture into the eggs, stirring constantly. Add butter and stir until combined. Pour into a buttered 12 x 15 cm ceramic or Pyrex baking dish. Cover with a lid or tray to avoid a skin forming on the custard, making sure the baking dish is deep enough for the custard not to touch the lid when it puffs up. Bake 30-40 minutes, until a thin skewer comes out clean. Remove baked custard from oven, allow to cool a little, then refrigerate until cold.
Reduce oven temperature to 150°C
Meanwhile, toast the almonds on a baking tray in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden. Leave aside to cool, then chop finely and mix with icing sugar and cinnamon.
When custard is cold, turn out of the dish and cut into 6 large fingers (about 12 x 2.5 x 2.5cm). Brush filo pastry very generously with melted butter and sprinkle over two-thirds of the almond mixture. Place a finger of custard at one end of each sheet and roll up in the pastry, forming a pastry tube with a custard centre. Brush tubes liberally with butter, sprinkle over remaining almond mixture and refrigerate until cold.
To make the lemon sugar syrup, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to the boil, then remove from heat to keep warm.
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Bake tubes for 10-20 mins, until golden brown. Remove from oven then place straight into the warm lemon sugar syrup for 30 seconds, or pour the syrup over them. Cut each tube in half diagonally and serve immediately.
