BOUGATSA (PHYLLO PASTRIES FILLED WITH GREEK CREAM) 

Bougatsa Recipe: We don’t really need to create our own because you can get these at every corner bakery in Greece, as well as smaller stores that specialize in this type of pastry. Though it appears lengthy, this dish is actually quite short.

DIRECTIONS

1. Beat eggs until foamy, then beat in sugar for about 4 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Put aside.
2. In a medium pot, heat the milk until it’s heated but not boiling.
3. Take off the heat and whisk the milk mixture into the egg mixture in a narrow stream until it is all used up. Don’t stop whisking.
4. Return the custard mixture to the pot and cook over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring continuously.
5. Add a pinch of salt and gradually sprinkle in the semolina, letting it drip out of your palm in a thin stream.
6. Reduce heat to very low and simmer, stirring constantly, for 5 to 6 minutes or until thick and smooth. Add chopped butter bits and fully mix them into the semolina custard by whisking.
7. Take out, lay a piece of plastic wrap immediately over the custard, and let it cool all the way down.
8. Once cooled, mix in the juice, vanilla, and lemon zest.
9. Turn the oven on to 350°F.
10. One phyllo sheet should be unrolled; the remaining sheets should be covered with a moist dish towel.
11. Position with the thin end facing you on a work surface.
12. Apply a thin layer of melted butter.
13. Top the lower third of phyllo with 3 tablespoons of custard.
14. Spread custard onto a large, roughly 10×5-inch rectangle with a thin, flexible spatula, almost completely covering the bottom third of the phyllo.
15. Gently brush the folded sides of the phyllo with butter after folding the right and left sides towards the center until the edges just meet.
16. After folding the lowest third up, butter it.
17. After folding the top third down, brush with butter.
18. Now, it ought to resemble an envelope.
19. Transfer to a baking sheet that has been lightly buttered, and proceed with the envelope-forming process seven to nine times, or whatever many bougatsa you are preparing.
20. After brushing the tops of the bougatsa with any leftover butter, bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.
21. Wait 20 minutes to serve after cooling.
22. Serve warm, sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar (you should notice a layer of the powdered sugar).

COMPOSITION 

At ambient temperature, one egg

One yolk egg, at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

Half a cup of whole milk

1/4 cup farina (semolina)

1/2 cup of butter, sliced

Two spoonfuls of fresh lemon juice

Zest from one lemon and a teaspoon of vanilla extract

8–10 thawed phyllo pastry pieces wrapped with a wet cloth

1/2 cup melted butter, cinnamon, and icing sugar