Did you know that Greek Cypriot desserts are traditionally sweet and drenched with lots of syrup and honey, and sometimes syrup and honey.
like galakooboureko, baklava, kataifi, lokomades, bourekia etc…..
When I was younger I found them too rich and didn’t really want to eat them when my Mum made them.
There was an exception though!
I loved the custard in the galaktoboureko, I would eat it straight out the bowl before my mum filled her filo and then got a small bowl full of custard just for myself, mmmm…..
I also loved the nuts that filled my mum’s baklava, almonds, cinnamon, sugar and rose water, yes I used to eat bowlfuls of those too ha ha
But, there was something about all that syrup sogging up the custard and the nuts that made the fillings undesirable.
Fast forward a few years and my husband loves anything with custard in it,
So I had to work on perfecting my galaktoboureko recipe so I could enjoy it with him.
And, that’s what I did! (“,)
I came up with a syrup that’s sweet but not too sweet,
My syrup is thicker than your usual syrup so it doesn’t make the filo too soggy,
The topping is crisp, which contrasts with the silky custard,
And the addition of rose gives the whole dessert a lift, cutting through the desserts richness and sweetness with it’s light fragrance.
But….
When you look at my galaktoboureko recipe you will notice that it is not filled with your traditional semolina custard,
And that’s because I prefer to use my semolina custard for my bougastes which are encased in a puff pastry. I feel the light puff pastry balances the semolina’s heaviness better than a filo pasty, and the filo pastry suits the light, creaminess of my vanilla custard.
Check the video below to see just how delicious my galaktoboureko is, and make sure to subscribe so you get notified when I upload my bougastes that are filled with the tastiest semolina custard you have ever tasted (“,)
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Ingredients
- 1 packet of filo pastry
- 250 g melted butter
Syrup
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 5 cloves
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- splash rose water
Custard
- 2 pints whole milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 cup cornflour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Equipment
- Pan
- Large Bowl
- Whisk
- Spoon
- Dish or Bowl
- Baking Tray (just a bit smaller than your filo pastry)
- Pastry brush
- Small Bowl
Instructions
Syrup
- In a pan add 2 cups of water, 2 cups of sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks and 5 cloves and bring to the boil
- After 5 minutes of boiling add 1 tsp of lemon juice and leave to boil until it thickens
- Take your syrup off of the heat and add a splash of rose water and 1 tbsp of honey and give it a good stir then leave it to cool whilst you make your custard
Custard
- Put 2 pints of milk in a pan with a tsp of vanilla and heat on a low heat
- Add 4 eggs and 1 cup of sugar to a bowl and whisk until smooth, then get a spoon and run it around the sides to get rid of any lumps
- Add 1 cup of corn flour and whisk again until smooth and then get a spoon and run it around the sides to get rid of any lumps and make sure it is silky smooth
- Add a quarter of your heated milk to your egg mix and whisk it until smooth and run your spoon around the sides again to make sure there are no lumps
- Add everything back to your pan and keep whisking on a low heat. Every now and again get your spoon and run it around your pans edges to make sure nothing is sticking and to also see when thick lumps start to form
- When you get a whole tablespoon full of thick custard take your pan off of the heat and whisk really fast until everything is silky smooth and then run your spoon one last time around your pans bottoms edges so everything is unstuck and transfer it to a dish to cool and cover with cling film. Make sure your cling film is touching your custard so a skin doesn't form.
Assembling
- Preheat your oven to 180' and melt 250g butter
- Count how many filo sheets you have 1/2 them so you have equal amounts for the top and the bottom
- Brush your first sheet of filo with your melted butter then place it in your tray and keep brushing each layer with butter and layering on top of each other. Only do this for the first half of your filo
- Add your custard and smooth it out evenly from corner to corner
- Now get the pieces of filo that are hanging over your pan and fold them over your cream
- Start brushing each sheet of filo with butter and layering one on top of the other
- When you have finished layering start tucking your over hanging filo sheets under your bottom filo layers
- Score the top of your filo into the size you want to serve each by going through the top filo layers and stopping when you reach the custard
- Sprinkle over some water so your filo crisps up
- Place in the over for 40 minutes or until golden brown to your liking
- When you take your galaktoboureko out of the oven pour over your syrup over and watch your galaktoboureko drink it up
- Traditionally you should wait before you cut into it so you have a perfect set slice, but it is soooo.... tasty when it comes straight out of the oven I'd recommend you give it a try. Just be prepared for it to look a little messy
VIDEO
Nutrition
Kali Orexi (“,)
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