Milk Cream Pie - Galaktoboureko

A popular pie in Greece made of fresh milk and semolina cream, filled in a crispy filo pastry. Sugar syrup flavored with cinnamon adds a sweet and aromatic taste. 

 

The Ingredients

12 sheets filo pastry

125gr butter
½ cup semolina
¼ cup corn flour
1 ½ cup sugar
3 eggs lightly beaten 
1 teaspoon of lemon rind
1 liter fresh milk
1 table spoon cinnamon powder

For the syrup

1 5cm peel of a lemon
1 ½ cup sugar
¾ cup water
1 cinnamon stick

Instructions

Mix semolina, sugar, corn flour, eggs and lemon rind into a bowl in a homogeneous mixture.
Put the milk in a pot on medium fire and when warm add the semolina mixture slowly, stir continuously until became a thick cream. Remove from fire, cover and let cool.
Butter lightly an oven pan (22 x 30 cm for rectangular or 35cm for round).

Lay 6 buttered filo sheets in the oven pan.
Add the cream and spread it evenly all around.
Cover the cream with the rest six buttered filo sheets.
Fold any excess filo edges inside the pan.
Melt the butter and brash the top and incise squares with a sharp knife.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180-200° C for 45 min, until the cream is firmed. 

Make the Syrup

Bring to boil water, sugar, lemon rind and cinnamon stick in an open pan, until became a thick syrup.
Remove from fire and let it cool for 1 min, remove the lemon peel and cinnamon stick.
Remove pie from oven, add warm syrup and let cool in the pan.

Cut in the incisions and dust over with cinnamon powder.
Serve.