2 x 250 gr. Phyllo Pastry
85 gr. Butter or Margarine
For Custard Filling:
40 gr. Butter or Margarine
1 lt. fresh Milk
5 Eggs
150 gr. fine Semolina
400 gr. Sugar
15 gr. Vanilla essence
For Syrup:
700 gr. Sugar
350 ml. Water
1 tsp. lemon juice + 1 pc. lemon rind
To sprinkle on top:
2 tsp. cinnamon powder (optional but recommended)
Instruction
Custard:
Start by pouring the milk in a saucepan over low heat.
Slowly boil the milk. Stir regularly to prevent milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Slowly add vanilla essence & 400 gr. Sugar. Then throw in 40 gr. butter and let it slowly melt & blend w/milk mixture.
After about 10′ the milk starts to boil. Continue stirring!
Then add the semolina and whisk constantly for 3′-4′ until the mix becomes thick & creamy! You’ll know custard filling is ready when it bubbles & the whisk leaves streaks on the surface.
Then turn off the heat & let custard cool down.
Phyllo sheets:
Melt 85 gr. butter in microwave for 2′ @600W.
Open the phyllo sheets on a flat surface.
Use 1 pack for bottom & 1 for top (each 250 gr. pack contains 12 small sheets).
W/a brush spread some of the melted butter on a baking tray 23×35 cm. Arrange the first 2 phyllo sheets on the bottom.
Sprinkle some melted butter.
Then place 2 more sheets and sprinkle some more butter on top.
Continue with the rest of the 1st pack of phyllo sheets.
TIP: Phyllo pastry tends to dry easily. Cover the phyllo sheets you are not using with a damp tea towel!
When custard has cooled down and just before you pour it in the baking tray, whisk 5 eggs and fold them in the custard. Blend them well!!
TIP: If custard is not used immediately, you need to stir occasionally to keep it from forming a skin on top.
Now, tip all of the custard in the tray, smoothing its surface with a spoon. Then repeat the procedure by brushing butter in every double layer for the top sheets. In total I made 6 (double sheet) layers at the bottom & 6 (double sheet) layers at the top!
TIP: To avoid breaking the phyllo sheets, you can just sprinkle the butter on top.
When only 2 phyllo sheets are left, cover Galaktoboureko w/them & drizzle rest of butter on top. Then w/a knife or the brush tuck the loose edges inwards to seal the sweet. Brush a bit of butter around the ends. Scar the top of Galaktoboureko w/a sharp knife making smaller rectangles. With some kitchen paper, clean the sides of the tray for leftover butter. Now the Custard Dessert is finally ready to be baked ?.
TIP: Before baking, wet your hand & sprinkle some water on top of the phyllo sheets. This will prevent the pie from rising too high!
TIP: At this point if you want to prepare it ahead, Galaktoboureko can be covered and be preserved in the freezer for up to 1 month. Defrost for at least 6 hours before baking it.
In a preheated oven Fan @180℃, bake Galaktoboureko for 1h-1h15′ or till it becomes golden brown all around and crunchy!
While waiting for Galaktoboureko to be baked, make the syrup.
Syrup:
In a saucepan over low heat, combine 700 gr. sugar and 350 ml. water.
Add lemon juice and rind. Bring to a boil and constantly stir gently until syrup becomes clear.
Let the syrup boil for 5′ more, gently stirring it every minute.
Then turn off the heat & let the syrup cool down.
TIP: Syrup must be room temp. when you pour it over the HOT Galaktoboureko!!
When Galaktoboureko is ready, remove from the oven. Set it on a rack and immediately pour the cold syrup over it. You can hear the phyllo sheets sizzle ?
Let it stand uncovered for some time to cool down before you serve it. Optionally you can sprinkle cinnamon powder on top.
1. Remove tenderloins from chicken and place on a tray. Cut chicken lengthways into 2cm-thick strips and add to tray.
2. Combine chillies and garlic in a mortar and pound with a pestle to a paste, stir in lime juice and 1 tablespoon of the oil, pour over chicken. Season and toss to coat.
3. Place onion and remaining oil in a bowl. Season. Cook onion on preheated barbecue grill, tossing with tongs until slightly charred. Meanwhile, shred the iceberg lettuce into a bowl. Halve and thinly slice the tomatoes into another bowl. Halve, seed and dice the avocado into another bowl.
4. Cook chicken on a preheated barbecue grill for 3-4 minutes, turning or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
5. Meanwhile, lightly toast tortilla on preheated barbecue flat plate until warmed through. Transfer to a tea towel lined plate, fold tea towel over tortilla to keep warm.
6. Serve grilled chicken with lettuce, tomato, avocado, sour cream and warmed tortillas.
Tip 1: To save time you can also use a 40g packet Fajita seasoning mix with 2 tablespoons oil instead of making your own marinade.
Tip 2: Tortillas can be torn and barbecued for quick crisps to serve with dip
Tip 3: Replace the chicken with two thickly sliced large eggplants for a vegetarian alternative.
In a vessel add 1 red carrot into batons, 1 cucumber strips, 1 small beet root cut into batons, 1 tbsp sugar, salt as required, 1 lemon into slices, 1/4 cup water, 3-4 non spicy chillies bring to a boil and keep it aside for an hour covered with the lid.
For marination
In a grinder add 3 tbsp yogurt, 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, 8-10 garlic cloves, 1 tsp cinnamon powder, 1 small onion, 2 green chillies, 1 tbsp lemon juice, salt as required, 2 tbsp olive oil and grind it into a paste.
Take 400 gms cottage cheese and cut it into thick slices, marinate with the paste and keep it aside for half an hour.
For french fries
Cut 1 potatoes into baton and fry them in oil till they turn golden brown.
Fry the marinated pieces of cottage cheese in some oil and then cut them into long pieces.
In a small bowl mix 2 tbsp mayonnaise and the marination paste.
Warm 5-6 round thin pita breads on a pan, apply the mayonnaise, add mixed salad leaves, french fries, pickled vegetables, pieces of cottage cheese, roll it and reserve it with a toothpick.
