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Ingredients:
For the Custard:
1 litter milk (1000 mls)
1 ½ cup sugar
1 cup semolina
5 eggs
3 tbs butter
1 tbs vanilla (I usually put a lot more than that, at least 2tbs but you can try the custard at the
end and put as much as you like)
1 pack of phyllo
About 1 cup of butter for the phyllo
For the Syrup
3 ½ cups of sugar
2 ½ cups water
The peel of 1 yellow lemon
1 tsp lemon juice
(Ι also add a couple of cinnamon sticks and vanilla to this)
Instructions:
A. Prepare the Custard
Wisk the eggs with the sugar and vanilla
In a pot, heat the milk with the semolina. Must keep mixing constantly with a wis to avoid forming clumps (medium heat). When the milk starts boiling and thickens bring down from the heat and slowly mix in the egg/sugar mixture
Heat a little more until it starts to bubble again (must keep mixing constantly to avoid clumps from forming). Mix in the butter (the 3 tbs). Take down from the heat
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Instructions (continued)
B. Lay the phyllo and put together the desert
Note: if phyllo is frozen you must defrost slowly before opening the box, ideally in fridge. If you open it when it is still frozen or too cold it will become mushy and stick together. You will need a little brush for brushing the butter on the phyllo. Melt the rest of the butter
Take a pyrex dish, butter well all around
Open the box of phyllo, spread flat on a surface.
Take the phyllos one by one, lay one by one inside on the pyrex dish and brush lots of butter on each one after you lay it down and before laying down the next one. The phyllo must completely cover the sides of the dish, and actually extend a bit
After you lay about 8 phyllos, you add the custard. Then you lay another 8 or so phyllos on top of the custard, one by one as before, (each one buttered as before). Do not butter the last one yet.
When you add the last one, you cut the excess phyllo around the dish with a sharp knife and tack the rest inside the bottom ones, so that the custard is completely covered by phyllo. Sprinkle a few drops of water on the top phylo, and with a sharp knife cut a few cuts in the phyllo to create vents.
Then brush lots of butter on top before baking. Bake at 350 for at least 30 minutes (you want all phyllos top and bottom to be well cooked)
C. While the desert is baking you make the syrup:
Add all the ingredients for the syrup in a pot and boil it for at least 5-10 minutes, or until it starts to reduce and thicken.
When the desert comes out, you slowly pour the syrup on top. Ideally you add little by little with a ladle, wait till it absorbs and then add more. Let the syrup soak in well. The desert tastes much better when it is still a little warm, but you can also refrigerate it and serve it cold.
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Dr. Maria A. Loza