In Greek: γαλατόπιτα με σιρόπι, pronounced ghah-lah-TOH-pee-tah meh see-ROH-pee
Different versions of this recipe use semolina and don't call for the almonds and syrup, but this is a delightful dessert in the older tradition.
Cook Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 5 cups of whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups + 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups of rice flour
- 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour
- 8 sheets of phyllo dough
- melted butter for brushing the phyllo dough
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 3/4 cup of almonds, blanched and crushed
- -------
- Syrup:
- 3 cups of granulated sugar
- 2 cups of water
- 1 piece of lemon peel
- juice of 1/2 lemon
Preparation:
Bring all ingredients to room temperature.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flours and milk and stir until well mixed and smooth. Beat 4 of the eggs with 1 1/2 cups of sugar and the vanilla, and add to the flour mixture, stirring until well blended.
In a small saucepan, bring half the milk just to the boiling point.
Add the hot milk very slowly to the flour mixture, stirring well. Pour the mixture into another saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring continuously until it thickens into a cream. Remove from the heat, and stir in the crushed almonds and butter until well blended. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Lightly butter a 15 X 13-inch tapsi (baking pan with 2-inch sides), and line with phyllo sheets, brushing each one with butter. The sheets should cover the bottom and sides of the pan, and if they extend further, that's fine. Pour the custard onto the phyllo, then use a scissors to cut off any phyllo that still sticks out.
Beat the remaining 2 eggs with 4 tablespoons of sugar and pour the mixture over the top of the custard. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30-40 minutes.
15 minutes before cooking time is up, prepare the syrup. Bring all syrup ingredients to a gentle boil, and cook for 8 minutes. When the custard has finished baking, remove from the oven and pour the syrup over the custard, taking care that it reaches the sides so the phyllo gets well saturated.