Greek Custard Phyllo Triangles Recipes

GREEK CUSTARD PHYLLO TRIANGLES

Steps:

• Beat eggs in saucepan; add sugar and blend.
• Gradually add milk and cook over medium heat, occasionally stirring.
• Combine cornstarch and water until dissolved.
• Slowly add to milk mixture as it heats, but before it boils.
• Cook until mixture thickens and comes to a hard boil.
• Remove from heat.
• Add 1/4 cup butter and vanilla.
• Cut pastry sheets in to thirds and cover pastry with hot melted butter.
• Place about 1 tablespoon custard filling at bottom left corner of strip and fold the right bottom corner over it into a triangle.
• Continue folding back and forth into a triangle and cover with butter to end of strip.
• Place triangles, cut side down, on greased cookie sheet.
• Brush tops with melted butter and bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.
• Dust with powdered sugar while warm.

GREEK CUSTARD WITH PHYLLO PASTRY

Steps:

• Scald milk in a large saucepan; stir in 4 tablespoons butter and sugar. Gradually add farina, stirring constantly, and bring mixture slowly to a boil.
• Remove from heat.
• Beat eggs in a bowl until they are fluffy and a light yellow. Slowly stir hot farina mixture into egg mixture. Add vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line a 9 x 12-inch baking pan with 1 sheet of phyllo with some of it hanging over the edge of the pan. Brush with butter. Be sure to keep unused phyllo pastry covered with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Layer 5 more sheets of buttered phyllo in the pan so that bottom and sides are completely covered.
• Pour in cooled custard.
• Cover with 1 sheet of phyllo; brush with butter. Layer 5 more individually buttered sheets of phyllo on top, and fold in overhang.
• With a sharp knife, score through top layers of phyllo, marking off 2 1/4-inch squares or diamond shapes. Bake for 10 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden.

GALAKTOBOUREKO

Steps:

• Pour milk into a large saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together the semolina, cornstarch, 1 cup sugar and salt so there are no cornstarch clumps. When milk comes to a boil, gradually add the semolina mixture, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and comes to a full boil. Remove from heat, and set aside. Keep warm.
• In a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer at high speed. Add 1/2 cup of sugar, and whip until thick and pale, about 10 minutes. Stir in vanilla.
• Fold the whipped eggs into the hot semolina mixture. Partially cover the pan, and set aside to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish, and layer 7 sheets of phyllo into the pan, brushing each one with butter as you lay it in. Pour the custard into the pan over the phyllo, and cover with the remaining 5 sheets of phyllo, brushing each sheet with butter as you lay it down.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top crust is crisp and the custard filling has set. In a small saucepan, stir together the remaining cup of sugar and water. Bring to a boil. When the Galaktoboureko comes out of the oven, spoon the hot sugar syrup over the top, particularly the edges. Cool completely before cutting and serving. Store in the refrigerator.

BOUGATSA (GREEK CREAM-FILLED PHYLLO PASTRIES)

Steps:

• Beat eggs until frothy; beat in sugar until thick and foamy, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat milk in medium pot until hot but not boiling.
• Remove from heat and whisk into egg mixture in a thin stream until all the milk mixture is used up - never stop whisking.
• Pour custard mixture back into pot and set on medium-low heat; cook, stirring constantly, about 3-4 minutes.
• Gradually sprinkle in semolina, letting it flow out of your hand in a thin stream; add a pinch of salt.
• Reduce heat to very low, cook, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth, about 5-6 minutes. Whisk in pieces of cut up butter, incorporating completely into the semolina custard.
• Remove, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard and cool completely.
• When cool, stir in juice, lemon zest and vanilla.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Unroll one sheet of phyllo, keeping remainder covered with dampened kitchen towel.
• Place on a work surface, with narrow end facing you.
• Brush lightly with melted butter.
• Place 3 tbsp of custard on lower 1/3 of phyllo.
• Using a thin, flexible spatula, spread custard into a wide rectangle, approximately 10x5 inches, nearly covering lower third of phyllo.
• Fold right and left sides of phyllo towards center so that edges just meet; lightly brush folded sides with butter.
• Fold lower third up and brush with butter.
• Fold upper third down and brush with butter.
• It should now look like an envelope.
• Place on a lightly buttered baking sheet and repeat envelope-making procedure 7-9 more times (depending on how many bougatsa you are making).
• Brush tops of bougatsa with any remaining butter and bake until golden-brown, about 15-18 minutes.
• Let cool 20 minutes before serving.
• Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar (you should see a coating of the icing sugar) and cinnamon.

GALAKTOBOUREKO - GREEK CUSTARD SLICE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C Bring milk and white sugar just to the boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add the semolina in a thin steady stream, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
• Reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes or until mixture is smooth and thickens slightly.
• Remove from heat and set aside for 15-20 minutes to cool slightly. Gradually add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until well combined. Add the vanilla sugar and lemon rind and stir until well combined.
• Place the filo on a clean work surface. Cover with a clean tea towel, then a damp tea towel (this will prevent it drying out). Place 1 filo sheet in the base of a 24 x 30cm (base measurement) ovenproof dish and brush with a little melted butter. Top with another filo sheet and lightly brush with melted butter.
• Repeat with another 10 filo sheets and melted butter to make a 12-sheet stack.
• Pour semolina mixture over the filo in dish. Continue layering with remaining filo sheets and half the remaining melted butter to make another 12-sheet stack on top of the semolina mixture.
• Use a small sharp knife to score top of galaktoboureko into 16 squares. Brush with the remaining melted butter. Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until golden.
• Meanwhile, to make sugar syrup, place the sugar, water, lemon juice, cinnamon, cloves and orange peel in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
• Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, without stirring, for 10 minutes or until syrup thickens slightly. Strain syrup and discard cinnamon, cloves and peel.
• Cut through marked lines on top of galaktoboureko. Pour over the hot syrup and set aside for 30 minutes to stand. Serve warm or at room temperature.