Galaktoboureko {Greek Custard Dessert}

I know I have mentioned it before, but I am a quarter Greek. My dad is half and my grandma is 100% Greek. In fact, she has lived in Greece her entire life! We have been over to visit a few times in my life, but really only one time that I remember vividly.

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It was so much fun to see my grandma and to visit these historic sites from my heritage first hand. It was seriously unbelievable. This trip was quite a few years ago, summer of 2006 to be exact. I can’t wait to get back one day! Making this recipe with my mother made me crave Greece all over again.

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With my grandma (my ya-ya) and dad being completely immersed in the Greek culture, we get to experience A LOT of great and authentic food! One specific recipe that I love is Galaktoboureko, aka Greek Custard Pie. I can’t wait to share my grandma’s recipe with you!

But first, let me explain today’s post. It is a little different in a good way!…

Today, I am teaming up with the Dating Divas!  I’m sure you’ve all heard of The Dating Divas, right?  If not, you are missing out! They’re a group of married women who post fun, creative, and inexpensive ideas that will put the SPARK back into your marriage.  If you’d love to reclaim the romance and excitement you had back when you were first dating, then this is the site for you!

And today, I’ve teamed up with the Divas to bring you a special treat… Dinner Dessert and a Movie!  Because who doesn’t love a fun date with a good movie and some delicious food?   That’s right, I’m going to hook you up with fabulous food ideas for your next movie night, and the Divas are taking care of all the date details for you.  Read on, because you’ve got one spectacular (already planned) date night coming your way.

Dinner and a Movie with Chef in Training and The Dating Divas!

 Now onto the dessert…..

This recipe for Galaktoboureko is directly from my grandma, which means this recipe is straight from Greece itself :) As with most Greek dishes, in my opinion, it is an acquired taste. It took me a few attempts, but I LOVE this recipe! I have to share it or get it out of my house or I could easily down the whole pan myself… I wish I was kidding! ;) Some prefer it chilled, I, however, love it warm!

Galaktoboureko {Greek Custard Pie} from chef-in-training.com ...an authentic and DELICIOUS Greek recipe!

5.0 from 2 reviews
Galaktoboureko {Greek Custard Pie}
 
A delicious Greek dessert that will melt in your mouth!
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Mediterrarean
Ingredients
  • 1 cup finely ground semolina, found at any greek specialty store
  • 6 cups milk
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 16 oz. pkg. Phyllo dough, thawed to room temperature
  • vegetable oil for brushing
SYRUP
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 1½ cups water
  • ½ tsp. lemon juice
  • 3 Tbsp. honey
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until well combined. Set aside.
  2. Combine finely ground semolina and milk into a large sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until it becomes thick. You want it to be the consistency of cream of wheat.
  3. Once thickened remove from heat and temper the egg/sugar mixture a little at a time stirring consistently so eggs don't cook. You don't want scrambled eggs in your custard ;)
  4. Once eggs are completely tempered into mixture, add butter and vanilla and stir until melted and evenly incorporated. Set aside.
  5. Remove one of the two plastic wrapped phyllo from package. Lay out on surface and cover with a thin cloth that has been flicked with a little bit of water. It is important as phyllo can dry out quickly, but you don't want it too wet that it seeps through and dampens/ruins dough. Phyllo dough takes patience to work with.
  6. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan. Lay two sheets of phyllo do width wise, side-by-side and press to conform and cover pan entirely. Don't lay it length wise or you will not cover the edges of pan like you need to.
  7. Brush vegetable oil onto dough with pastry brush to cover. Lay the next set of two to layer. Repeat layers, brushing vegetable oil in between each layer until that first roll of phyllo dough has been used.
  8. Next pour custard into phyllo-covered pan. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to smear and evenly distribute custard.
  9. Take a serrated knife and carefully trim excess dough off of edges of pan. Fold over the remaining edges nicely over custard.
  10. Take out second (and last) plastic covered phyllo dough from package and cover to keep from drying as you did with the first set of phyllo dough (likely sprinkled thin cloth).
  11. This time, you only need one sheet of phyllo dough at a time and will lay it lengthwise. tuck any extra edges carefully around base.
  12. Using pastry brush, brush phyllo dough with vegetable oil. Repeat the process of laying sheet down, tucking carefully to fit, and brushing with vegetable oil until you have 12 layers of phyllo dough. on top. Finish by brushing vegetable oil on top.
  13. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30-40 minutes or until top is a nice golden brown. Once done, set out to cool.
FOR SYRUP
  1. Combine sugar, water, lemon juice and honey into a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat and Bring to a boil for 10 minutes.
  2. After Galaktoboureko has reached nearly room temperature, but still slightly warm, drizzle syrup over top, making sure that it is evenly covered. It works best to drizzle a little at a time and wait so that Galaktoboureko can absorb it. Then continue with that process until all syrup has been used.

Enjoy!

Galaktoboureko {Greek Custard Pie} from chef-in-training.com ...an authentic and DELICIOUS Greek recipe!

 So now that I have hooked you up with the fabulous recipe for your next movie night, the Divas are taking care of all the date details for you.

The movie we have collaborated on together is “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. I LOVE this movie. When I first saw this movie, I couldn’t stop laughing because there really are so many similarities to my grandma and the Greek culture itself. It is a darling movie. For those of you who had seen the movie, you may remember one seen where the dad is introducing his Greek family. He proceeds to say, “This is my brother, and his son, Nicolas. This is Nick, Nick, Nick, Nicolas, etc.” after several more similar “Nik” introductions he then says, “and this is Nikki.” Well I don’t know if you have noticed but my name is Nikki, I have a cousin, Nicolas and my grandma’s name is Nikki, too :)

So now that you have the dessert, you have to check out this cute date the Divas’ have planned out for you! Time to jazz up your next movie night into a fun-filled date night! Go check it out!

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Have fun!

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #chefintraining and/or #chefintrainingblog. I would love to see how these recipes take shape in your kitchens.

Filed under: dessert

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Comments

  1. tanya

    I am 100% Greek and am so thrilled to have been able to watch my mom make food from the old country-no recipe cards or cookbooks, just straight from her own mind! This pie bring back those memories!

  2. Tieghan

    These photos are amazing. That trip looks like so much fun and this dessert sounds awesome! I love all greek food, so I can not wait to give this a try!

  3. Averie @ Averie Cooks

    This is one of my fave posts you've ever written b/c you just shared so much of your background and awesome travel pics and what this recipe means to you :) Love it, Nikki!

  4. Faith

    I am so jealous- I have always wanted to go to greece! This recipe looks fantastic and I love that it's a family recipe- those are ALWAYS the best!

  5. Joanna

    This looks scrumptious! My favorite flavor is the simplicity of Greek yogurt and honey, but it's most delicious when enjoyed on vacation in Greece, go figure ; )

  6. Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche

    This looks soooo good, I LOVE Greek food. I have literally never eaten a Greek meal that I didn't love. Jealous that you have Green family, you probably eat it more often than I do! :)

  7. Natalie J Vandenberghe

    I love custard and your recipe sounds delicious--thanks for sharing!

  8. Jessica

    I am part Greek as well and this is my favorite dessert. I don't make it because, like you, I will eat the entire pan. I do like it cold though. Served warm freaks me out. There is a restaurant near my house that serves it warm so I get it to go and put it in the fridge for an hour before I eat it. Thanks for posting this recipe. I've been looking for one that looked correct! lol

  9. Eat Good 4 Life

    Super cool, I did not know you were from Greek descent. I love Greek food and one of my best friends is actually Greek. Do you speak Greek? because I think it is one of the hardest languages out there. When I hear my friend speak to family members I can not even make out a word :-) This dessert look mighty good, I am afraid of custards just because of the amount of eggs it uses, something weird in me can't bring to make them. I will eat them on occasion if I don't know how they are made...so strange :-)

  10. Danielle

    Totally going to make this date night happen - this dessert sounds absolutely DELISH, and I'm a huge fan of My Big Fat Greek Wedding (the mom just cracks me up)! :D

  11. paula

    YEARS ago, and I mean Y*E*A*R*S (like 35 - 40) a friend and I came across a recipe for this LUSH dessert. Of course, over the years I have lost it. Thank you for bringing it back into my life. Now, to make it again and share the flavor with my husband :)

  12. Nessa

    My Big Fat Greek wedding is hilarious! Love this movie :)
    Hope to try this soon- looks really interesting and yummy!

  13. Lisa

    We just got back from Greece two days ago and fell in love with this dessert while we were there. Thanks for the recipe, especially the step by step pictures!!

  14. Sue

    Hi. I made this today and was delicious. Thank you for an authentic recipe.

  15. Leslie

    Custard in the oven.... Made this one without the FILO .... Custard only!!! Next time will make it with the FILO !!! Looks creamy.... Thanks.... :)

  16. Connie Joubert

    5

    Cant wait to try this one out

  17. Janet

    5

    My childrens father learned this from his mother and cooked these for us from time to time. So delicious. He's passed, but they can make it now

  18. marco

    I just tried this recipe for my greek boyfriend and to put it in as mild a manner as possible, this recipe sucked and bombed!

    I am a chef, specialising in a Mediterrannean cuisine, I was dissapointed!
    The pastry, which a first grader can bake was perfect, the filling was runny and tasted like sand!