We had a recent request for some Greek and Turkish cuisine (thanks Cathy – our baby blogger). Here is a great sounding recipe for bougasta, traditional Greek custard filled fylo pastry.
For this recipe, you will need eggs, butter, cinnamon, fyllo pastry (8-10 sheets), powdered sugar, lemon juice, milk, semolina, sugar, and vanilla.
Place 1/2 cup of butter in a bowl to allow it to come to room temperature. In a bowl, beat one egg and one egg yolk until it is frothy. Beat in 1/2 cup of sugar until the mixture becomes thick and foamy. In a saucepan, heat 1 1/2 cups of milk until hot, but avoid boiling. Once it is hot, remove it from the heat. Using a whisk, combine a small amount of the milk into the egg mixture. Pour the rest of the eggs into the hot milk, but whisk quickly to keep the eggs from cooking. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and place it over medium heat. Stir continually for about 3 minutes then gradually add in 1/4 cup of semolina and a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to low and continue to stir for about 5 minutes until the mixture is thick and smooth. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in two tablespoons of butter. Bring that mixture to room temperature, occasionally stirring it. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to create a custard. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
When the custard is cooled down, unroll a fyllo pastry sheet and brush with softened butter. Place about 3 tablespoons of the custard in the lower third of the pastry then spread it evenly over the sheet. Bring the right and left sides of the pastry towards the center so the edges meet then lightly brush both sides with butter. Fold the lower third up and brush with butter then fold the upper third down to form what looks like an envelope. Brush with butter again. Repeat until all the pastry sheets are filled then place them on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes until brown. Serve warm with a light dusting of powdered sugar and cinnamon.