Bougatsa Tis Tebelas Lazy Womans Custard Pastry Recipes

BOUGATSA - CRISPY FILO PASTRY FILLED WITH WARM CUSTARD CREAM

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs and cornstarch. Set aside.
• In a cooking pot add milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. Heat over medium-high heat.
• Once milk reaches a boiling point remove from heat. Using a ladle, start pouring milk slowly, into the egg mixture while whisking constantly.
• Incorporate half the milk into the eggs and then transfer the mixture back to the pot.
• Transfer pot back to the heat and keep whisking until cream thickens.
• Set cream aside while you prepare the base.
• Preheat oven to 200°C / 392°F.
• Lay open the filo stack on your working surface.
• Grease a 15x10 inch / 38x25 cm baking dish with melted butter.
• Take one filo sheet and gather it up together (to make it look wavy) to the corner of the dish. Repeat process with 4 more filo sheets to cover the whole bottom of the dish.
• Drizzle using the ⅓ of the melted butter.
• Bake filo for 5 minutes or until it gets a golden color all over on top.
• Remove from the oven and spread the cream evenly on top.
• Add the remaining filo sheets exactly the same way as you did for the base. You may tear a filo sheet apart in order to fill empty spaces.
• Drizzle remaining butter on top.
• Bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until filo looks crispy and deep golden in color.
• Set pastry aside for 10-15 minutes.
• Dust with plenty of icing sugar and cinnamon. Ready to cut and serve!

BOUGATSA TIS TEBELAS (LAZY WOMAN'S CUSTARD PASTRY)

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once melted, continue to heat it another few minutes (anywhere from 4-5) until it turns a dark amber colour and becomes very fragrant (this is called beurre noisette). Immediately remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
• With your browned butter, generously butter first sheet of filo pastry, then, scrunch up the pastry as if you were making a paper fan (beauty is unimportant, but that is the overall shape you want to achieve - you should be able to do this quickly, no more than 30 seconds per sheet of filo). Lay buttered filo fan down lengthwise in an 18 X 10 inch baking pan. Continue the same way with the remaining sheets of filo, until you have completely filled your pan. If there are any gaps, fill these with your last sheets of buttered filo, torn to accommodate gaps. Pour any browned butter that may be left, over the pastry.
• Bake pastry in preheated oven until a dark, golden-brown colour, about 25-30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, empty condensed milk and 2 1/2 times its container of hot water. Add milk, vanilla and lemon zest. Whisk to blend and add the eggs, whisking to blend. (It is important to add the eggs AFTER the addition of cold milk as the milk will cool off the hot water somewhat, so the eggs don't curdle).
• Pour the milk mixture over the filo pastry and continue to bake for another 45 minutes.
• The pastry is done when it appears quite 'set' when pressed upon gently - ie. no liquidy custard appears.
• Cut into 4 strips lengthwise and 4 strips crosswise, producing 16 pieces.
• Liberally sift icing sugar over pan and be generous with the cinnamon!
• You can serve this hot, warm or at room temperature.

GALACTOBOURIKO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• heat milk with 2/3 cup sugar.
• mix farina with 1/2 cup sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla.
• add 1 cup hot milk. mix togethers and then add farina mixture back into milk.
• stir and cook until bubbling. remove from heat.
• add 1 stick butter and cool.
• butter pan and layer 5 sheets of filo with butter melted butter, in pan.
• pour in custard, and cover with 5 sheets of filo, buttering each layer with melted butter, and top. tuck edges into sides of pan and bake for 45-50 minutes.
• cool and serve with syrup.
• syrup: 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 2 tbl lemon juice 1 inch cinnamon stick, 1 cup water. simmer 10 minutes, remove cinnamon and cool.

BOUREK (MEAT FILLED PASTRY)

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.
• Add the lamb and stir-fry a minute.
• Add the onion, parsley, salt, pepper and cinnamon and cook over medium low heat til lamb is cooked through.
• Take one sheet of phyllo and fold both side to the center length-wise.
• Sprinkle lightly with melted butter.
• Place 2 heaping tablespoons of meat stuffing at one end of the phyllo.
• Press it out til it is about 4 inches wide and 1 inch deep.
• Roll the dough over and roll about 3 times.
• Sprinkle a bit more butter on the end and dab with egg to seal.
• Do this with the remaining meat mix and phyllo.
• Bake in a buttered baking dish in 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

GALATOBOURIKO (GREEK CUSTARD PASTRY)

Steps:

• For the syrup: make this first.
• In a small sauce pan, combine the sugar, honey and water. Bring to a slow boil, stirring occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved. Add lemon juice and orange juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a 4 quart saucepan, mix the butter and milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add farina and cook for 5 minutes, continuing to stir to prevent lumping. Remove from heat. In a large bowl combine eggs, sugar and vanilla. Slowly add one cup of the hot mixture to the bowl and blend. Return egg mixture to the saucepan and stir until smooth and thick. Set aside to cool.
• Brush a 9″ x 13″ x 2″ baking dish with melted butter. Place 8 filo sheets on bottom of pan, brushing between each one with melted butter. Place an additional 4 filo sheets in pan, allowing the edges to drape over each of the 4 sides of the pan. Brush with melted butter.
• Pour the filling into the filo lined pan and spread evenly. Fold the overlapping filo sheets to envelop the filling. Top pastry with remaining filo, brushing with melted butter.
• Score the dough through the top layers of filo with a sharp knife 4 times lengthwise. Pour any remaining butter over the top of the pastry (this keeps the filo from drying out during baking.).
• Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for one hour or until pastry is golden and puffed.
• Remove pastry to a rack and cool for 5 minutes. Spoon cooled syrup over pastry and allow to stand for 30 minutes.
• Cut into 40 diamond shaped pieces.
• Enjoy this authentic, luscious Greek dessert!

GALAKTOBOUREKO - GREEK CUSTARD PASTRY

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat add milk, sugar, semolina, 2 ounces butter, vanilla, salt and a sliver of lemon peel.
• Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Beat eggs in a separate bowl then stir into milk mixture. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line a 9 X 13 buttered baking pan with half the sheets of phyllo, brushing each sheet with the melted butter and allowing the edges to overlap the sides.
• Spread custard evenly over phyllo.
• Cover with remaining sheets of phyllo, brushing each sheet with the melted butter.
• Trim the edges and fold in carefully to seal the filling.
• Brush the top with melted butter and seal edges with a bit of cold water.
• Bake 45 minutes or until golden.
• Meanwhile make the syrup; In a small saucepan combine the sugar, water, lemon juice and sliver of lemon peel and boil for 10 minutes.
• When Galaktoboureko is done and still hot from the oven, spoon syrup over a little at a time until absorbed by the pastry.
• Cool completely, cut into diamond shape and serve.
• NOTES : This is best made the day before it is needed. It gives the pastry time to absorb the syrup and the filling to become firm.

BOUGATSA (CHEESE FILLED FILO PASTRY)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla and beat with a mixer till creamy smooth.
• Brush the bottom of a 10x14x2 inch baking pan or dish with the butter. Have ready the filo sheets, keeping them covered with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. Lay a filo sheet in the bottom of the pan and brush with butter. Repeat, brushing with butter, 5 more times.
• Pour the filling mixture over the stacked and buttered filo sheets. Drizzle the filling with a little melted butter, then layer 5 more filo sheets on top, again brushing each sheet.
• Cover the pan and refrigerate until the butter firms up. Can be pre-assembled up to this point.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• With a sharp knife, score the surface of the pastry through the top 5 sheets of filo dough into 10 diamonds or rectangles. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer pastry to a rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Cut along the score marks and finish allowing to cool until warm or to room temperature. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.