Galaktoboureko Cupcakes

Galaktoboureko Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the galaktoboureko:

• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup fine semolina
• 1 /2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter (5 1/3 tbsp)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 sheets thick, commercial filo dough (if you come across a brand that shows the number, I used a #7)
• 2/3 cup clarified butter, to brush on filo sheets

For the syrup:

• 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 lemon

Directions

Custard:  In a heavy pot, bring the milk to a boil. Sprinkle in the semolina, whisking constantly over very low heat. Add the sugar, then simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove from the heat and add the butter and the eggs, 1 by 1, stirring. Blend in the vanilla. The mixture will be thick but pourable, like a sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Method 

cut up the filo into squares large enough to go over the cup cake tin and a bit larger so you can fold over once the feeling is in. the size I needed, I needed to know how big the squares should be. Approximately 6”x 6”Turned out to be a good size.

To assemble the cups, lay 4 squares of filo with brushes of butter in between, also brushing butter on the top square. Then pressed this into one of the cups in the muffin tin, arranging it so there was as much room for custard as possible (there will be filo overhang, but this is necessary).  Then with a ladle, I filled the cup with custard all the way to the rim, then folded down the overhanging flaps of filo sticking up to create a protective cover over the custard.  After folding them down, I brushed the tops with butter to seal and weigh down the flaps.  

When done assembling the muffin tin, bake it at 375F for 30 minutes, checking to see how golden brown the filo was getting.  Once they achieved the shade of golden brown in the picture below, removed from the oven.

Making the syrup 

Make the syrup while the cupcakes are baking  always have syrup cold on hot galakoktobouriko cupcakes  Add 1/2 cups water

1 cup sugar 1/4 lemon  and a stick of cinnamon and when they came out of the oven deep them in cold syrup for a few seconds and spooned a bit of syrup into each cupcake’s opening at the top. Place them in a tray and let them cool down  making sure to let them cool completely before you place them in the fridge covered with a cloth tea towel! 

Cheesecake millefeuille

Cheesecake millefeuille

 Components

 1 pack of puff pastry,
 500 g  whipped cream,
 powdered sugar,
 forest fruits or chopped strawberries,
 mint leaflets for garnishing,
 1 pack of cream cheese.
 Steps

  Step 1 Cut the puff pastry into 8cm pieces and sprinkle on a baking sheet covered with non-stick paper.
  Step 2 Bake in preheated oven at 180 ° C until golden brown.
  Step 3 Remove from the oven and let them cool.
  Step 4 Cut the squared pieces of puff pastry in the middle and sprinkle them on a platter.
 In the meantime, I'm preparing the filling:
  Step 1 I whip the cream in the mixer to whip, add the cream cheese and as much icing as sweet as you want.
  Step 2 I whip the whipped cream and apply the cream on a puff pastry sheet.
  Step 3 Add some of the forest fruit or chopped strawberries and close with the second leaf of puff pastry.
  Step 4 Continue the same way until the materials are finished.
  Step 5 Sprinkle with powdered sugar and garnish with fruit and mint leaves.

Custard Tarts

Custard tarts 

Ingredients :

1 unbaked pie shell (I use Marie Callender’s deep dish)

3 large eggs

½ cup of sugar

½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of nutmeg

2-2/3 cups of milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

How to prepare :

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat your eggs slightly, then add sugar, salt, nutmeg, and milk. Beat well and poor into the unbaked pie shell. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Sprinkle the top of pie with fresh ground nutmeg and serve.

Strawberry Custard Fridge Cake

Strawberry Custard cake 

Ingredients

For Custard 

1 liter milk

100 g corn starch 

3 egg yolks

270 g granulated sugar

1 vanilla pod

100 g butter

200 g whipped cream

200g Extra whipped cream for the topping

For the base

1 large pkt of ladies finger biscuits

Cup of milk

1 Shot Glass of brandy 

12 large strawberries sliced and dipped in vanilla sugar 

Method

For the Custard 

In a pot, add 900 g of the milk and half of the sugar.

Slice the vanilla pod open with a small knife and scrape out the seeds. Add them to the pot along with the pod.

Place over medium heat for 5 minutes, until it comes to a boil.

In a bowl, add the egg yolks and the rest of the sugar. Whisk.

Add the milk and corn starch. Whisk until the ingredients are completely combined.

As soon as the milk comes to a boil, gradually add the egg yolk mixture while whisking continuously.

Transfer all of the mixture to the pot and place over heat.

Whisk continuously for 2-3 minutes, until the cream thickens.

Remove from heat, add the butter and whisk until it melts.

Remove the vanilla pod and transfer cream to a bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic touches the surface of the cream directly so that a film does not form.

Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Take out and put in a mixing bowl and mix the custard until it becomes nice and creamy 

Whip 1 tub of 200g cream until thickened and fold it slowly in circular motion in the custard until its combined and becomes light and fluffy. 

Pure 

For the base

Dip Biscuits in the milk and brandy making sure not to over soak 

Lay them in a tray top with the sliced strawberries 

To Combine cake 

Remove the custard from the refrigerator and mix with a spatula or hand mixer so that it can fluff up.

Add the whipped cream and mix until incorporated.

Spread some of the whipped custard on a serving platter so that the sweet won’t slide.

Add the biscuits to the milk and the brandy spread the sliced strawberries on top of soaked biscuits and spread the custard over their surface with a spatula.

Top with strawberries and repeat the same process until you have created 2 layers of biscuits and 

Spread the remaining Custard over the whole surface of the dessert.

Beat some fresh cream with some vanilla sugar until thick and spread on top of custard then. Crush some of the remaining biscuits pieces with your hands and sprinkle them over the whole surface of the cake

Serve with icing sugar and ground nuts of your choice and enjoy. 

COPENHAGEN GREEK DESSERT

COPENHAGEN GREEK DESSERT

 For the top

½ pound phyllo pastry, thawed and at room temperature 1 stick of unsalted butter, melted

 

For the filling

1 Orange with juice and peel

¾ cup ground walnuts

¾ cup ground toasted almonds

¾ cup plain breadcrumbs (unseasoned)

1 and ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla extract 

¼ teaspoon salt

1 shot glass of brandy 

6 eggs at room temperature, (whites and yolks separated)

¾ cup granulated sugar

 

For the syrup

3 cups granulated sugar

2 and ½ cups water

1/4 cup of pure honey 

Juice of half lemon

 

Preheat the oven 350 °F, 180 °C.

 

To make the syrup

In a small saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except for the honey and bring to a boil stirring until the sugar is melted. As soon as it’s done pore in the honey and set aside to cool completely. The syrup must be cold.

 

To make the filling

Combine the walnuts, almonds, breadcrumbs, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves ,vanilla brandy, orange, orange peel and salt and mix well to combine. 

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a table top mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until the egg whites are thick, glossy and stiff peaks form. (Like meringue)

Transfer this mixture into a clean bowl. 

Place the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl that the whites were in and beat on high speed for a few minutes until thick and creamy. Add vanilla extract and whisk until combined. Whisk in the nut mixture.

Add 1/3 of the meringue mixture to the egg/nut batter and fold it in to lighten it up.

Gently fold in the remaining meringue taking care not to deflate it too much. Set aside.

 

To assemble the dessert:Grease the baking pan and layer and drizzle butter between 5 phyllo sheets. The excess phyllo can go up the pan and the remaining can just hang outside the baking pan.

Pour the nut meringue into the pan. Place the phyllo sheets that are hanging outside of the pan over the nut mixture.

Cover with 5 more layers of phyllo, drizzling butter between each sheet. Tuck the extra phyllo inside the edges of the pan.

Pour the remaining butter all over the top of the phyllo.

Scour the phyllo to create slices.

Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden.

 

As soon as the dessert comes out of the oven, pour the cooled syrup over it. Cut through the slices all the way to the bottom so that the syrup drenches the pastry.

Allow the pastry to absorb all of the syrup at room temperature for at least one hour.

Coconut Philo rolls

I wanted to try something New and I made philo Coconut rolls they are amazing and very easy to make 

Ingredients 

375g of Desiccated coconut 

1-1/2 pkts of Andoniou Fillo Pastry 

250g of Unsalted butter 

For the Syrup

2-1/2 large glasses of Sugar 

2-1/2 water 

1/4 of lemon and juice 

1 stick of cinnamon 

Let it boil with out stirring until it fills just a bit sticky on your spoon

Will need a wooden rod to roll the coconut rolls 

Method 

Open fillo pastry and lay flat on the work bench and with a pastry brush drizzle some of the melted butter and then sprinkle some of the coconut and with the rod roll the first fillo and do this three times always sprinkle coconut in every fillo.

After you have done this three times hold  the rod on each end and squeeze the roll until it gathers then with one hand pull the rod out and place in the baking tray making sure it’s all neat. 

When tray is full rub very well all the rolls with the rest of  melted butter and cook on medium oven 200•

Then straight after you take them out you pore the syrup on the hot rolls let them cool and enjoy!