Galaktoboureko Beggars Purses Recipes

BEGGARS' PURSES

Steps:

• Make crêpe batter:
• Melt butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and set aside 2 tablespoons for cooking crêpes. Continue to cook butter remaining in skillet until it has a nutty fragrance and is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Blend brown butter with remaining crêpeingredients, except chives, in a blender until smooth. Add chives and pulse 1 or 2 times to just combine. Let batter stand 30 minutes.
• Blend brown butter with remaining crêpe ingredients, except chives, in a blender until smooth. Add chives and pulse 1 or 2 times to just combine. Let batter stand 30 minutes.
• Blanch whole chives:
• Blanch chives in a small saucepan of boiling water 10 seconds. Drain and plunge into an ice bath. Pat dry.
• Make crêpes:
• Lightly brush skillet with butter, then heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir batter. With skillet off heat, add a scant 1/4 cup batter, tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom. (If batter sets too fast, reduce heat slightly.) Cook until golden around edges, 15 to 30 seconds. Loosen with a heatproof plastic spatula, then flip crêpe over with your fingertips. Cook until underside is set, about 30 seconds. Slide onto a plate. Make more crêpes, brushing skillet with butter and stacking crêpes on plate.
• Assemble purses:
• Top each crêpe, browned side up, with about 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream and 2 teaspoon caviar. Gather crêpe around filling and tie 1 or 2 blanched chives in a knot to close purse. Trim ends of chives if necessary.

GALAKTOBOUREKO BEGGAR'S PURSES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, scald milk and unsalted butter over medium-high heat, 5 to 6 minutes. Slowly whisk in Cream of Wheat. Lower heat to medium, and cook, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes. Slowly add eggs; continue to cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture begins to thicken, 7 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup sugar and vanilla; stir, and cook 10 to 12 minutes, until custard has a porridgelike consistency. Let cool.
• Carefully unroll phyllo. Immediately cover it with plastic wrap and then a damp towel. Keep phyllo covered as you work.
• Place 1 sheet of phyllo on a work surface. Lightly brush phyllo with melted butter; place another sheet on top, and brush with butter; place a third sheet of phyllo on top, and brush with butter. Cut into four rectangles. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the custard in center of a rectangle. Gather and pinch pastry around custard, forming a purse shape with a ruffled top. Place in a muffin tin so it retains its shape while others are formed. Repeat entire process with remaining phyllo and custard, making a total of 24.
• Transfer purses to a parchment-lined baking sheet; brush sides of purses with melted butter. Bake until flaky and golden brown, 27 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• While pastries are baking, place remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer 3 to 4 minutes. Let cool. Drizzle syrup over warm pastries.

BEGGARS PURSES FILLED WITH SHRIMP AND SCENTED WITH LEMON AND THYME

Steps:

• Start by making the aromatic shrimp filling: Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Season the mix with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, bring 1-inch of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Place the chives in the water and blanch for 1 minute. Remove the chives and squeeze them dry in a paper towel. The chives will be all bunched up in a ball at this point, so carefully separate them and set them aside.
• To assemble your purses: take a crepe and cut it in half. Place a heaping tablespoon of the shrimp filling in the middle of each half of crepe and draw up the sides of the crepe as to make a pouch of filling resembling a purse. Carefully twist the crepe around at the top and lay it on its side, holding the crepe closed at the top. Slip a chive under the crepe and tie it around the twisted top in a knot to secure the purse. Trim away any extra crepe and length of chive. After practicing this technique a few times you will get the hang of it and they will come together nicely. These may be made ahead of time and frozen for up to 1 month.
• To make the crepe batter, combine the flour, milk, water, eggs, 2 tablespoons of butter, and salt in a blender. Blend on high until the batter is smooth. Cover and let the batter sit for 30 minutes. This is essential in creating strong crepes which will hold up to the stress of tying them into your beggars purses. Place a 7 1/2-inch nonstick crepe pan over medium heat. Brush a little of the remaining melted butter into the pan with a pastry brush. Ladle 2 tablespoons of crepe batter into the pan and swirl to coat the entire pan evenly. Cook the crepe until it is set and the bottom is golden brown. Using a heat-proof rubber spatula, flip the crepe over and cook on the second side until it is lightly browned as well. Continue making crepes with remaining batter. Set aside covered with a dish towel until you are ready to assemble your beggars purses.

TRADITIONAL GALAKTOBOUREKO

Steps:

• Pour the milk into a large saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat. While you are waiting for the milk to boil, beat the eggs, semolina, and 3/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer until well blended. Use a wooden spoon to stir this into the hot milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until it just starts to bubble. Remove from the stove, and stir in 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter an 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Brush butter onto 6 of the phyllo sheets, and place use them to line the bottom and sides of the baking dish. Pour in the semolina mixture, and spread evenly. Layer the remaining sheets of phyllo dough over the top, brushing each one with melted butter as you lay it on. Sprinkle a few dashes of water over the top. Use a knife to slice through the top layer of pastry in a diagonal pattern.
• Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the crust is golden brown. While the dish bakes, combine 2 cups of sugar, water, and remaining lemon zest in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and remove from the heat.
• As soon as the galaktoboureko is removed from the oven, pour hot syrup over it. Let it cool before serving. After it has cooled, store in the refrigerator. It will stay good for 4 to 5 days.

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.