Galaktoboureko – a favorite Greek dessert

After four days of explaining Greek pastries to the hundreds of lovely guests who eagerly supported our annual festival, it was a good time to repost one of the recipes. Galaktoboureko was one of the most asked-for desserts and the hardest to pronounce, though it didn’t stop anyone from trying!

So what is this strange-sounding pastry? It’s an egg-based custard sandwiched between layers of buttered phyllo. But what sets this apart are two ingredients. Semolina, giving the custard a slightly firmer texture without losing the delicateness you’d expect from a pastry cream. And warm, simple syrup, poured over the slightly cooled galaktoboureko.

Custard

8 cups milk

1 ½ cups sugar

1 ½ cups fine semolina

6 eggs, beaten

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

Pastry

1 pound phyllo

1 cup unsalted butter, melted

Syrup

1 ½ cups water

1 ½ cups sugar

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

2 strips orange peel

2 cinnamon sticks

Method

Place milk, sugar, vanilla, and semolina into a large pot. Stir until mixed through. Add the beaten eggs and stir. Place over medium heat and simmer, constantly stirring. It will take a while for the custard to thicken. Continue to stir until the custard thickens. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir until the butter has melted and mixed through. Place the custard in a bowl and cover with saran wrap. Place in the refrigerator to cool while preparing the phyllo. Butter a 9×13 inch pan. Using half of the package of phyllo, butter each sheet with a pastry brush and place it in the pan. Keep layering until you’ve used half of the phyllo. Add all the custard over the phyllo with a large spoon or ladle. Layer and butter the remaining phyllo—one sheet at a time over the custard. Brush the top with butter. Tuck in the edges of any overlapping phyllo. Score with a sharp knife into squares and bake at 350 F for 1 hour.

In the meantime, combine the water, sugar, orange juice, orange peel, and cinnamon sticks in a large pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool. When the galaktoboureko comes out of the oven, let it cool, then ladle the syrup over it. 

Let the pastry cool a little before attempting to remove the squares neatly. This pastry tastes best when it’s still warm.