Bougatsa Recipe 1

BOUGATSA (GREEK CREAM-FILLED PHYLLO PASTRIES)

Steps:

• Beat eggs until frothy; beat in sugar until thick and foamy, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat milk in medium pot until hot but not boiling.
• Remove from heat and whisk into egg mixture in a thin stream until all the milk mixture is used up - never stop whisking.
• Pour custard mixture back into pot and set on medium-low heat; cook, stirring constantly, about 3-4 minutes.
• Gradually sprinkle in semolina, letting it flow out of your hand in a thin stream; add a pinch of salt.
• Reduce heat to very low, cook, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth, about 5-6 minutes. Whisk in pieces of cut up butter, incorporating completely into the semolina custard.
• Remove, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard and cool completely.
• When cool, stir in juice, lemon zest and vanilla.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Unroll one sheet of phyllo, keeping remainder covered with dampened kitchen towel.
• Place on a work surface, with narrow end facing you.
• Brush lightly with melted butter.
• Place 3 tbsp of custard on lower 1/3 of phyllo.
• Using a thin, flexible spatula, spread custard into a wide rectangle, approximately 10x5 inches, nearly covering lower third of phyllo.
• Fold right and left sides of phyllo towards center so that edges just meet; lightly brush folded sides with butter.
• Fold lower third up and brush with butter.
• Fold upper third down and brush with butter.
• It should now look like an envelope.
• Place on a lightly buttered baking sheet and repeat envelope-making procedure 7-9 more times (depending on how many bougatsa you are making).
• Brush tops of bougatsa with any remaining butter and bake until golden-brown, about 15-18 minutes.
• Let cool 20 minutes before serving.
• Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar (you should see a coating of the icing sugar) and cinnamon.

BOUGATSA - CRISPY FILO PASTRY FILLED WITH WARM CUSTARD CREAM

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs and cornstarch. Set aside.
• In a cooking pot add milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. Heat over medium-high heat.
• Once milk reaches a boiling point remove from heat. Using a ladle, start pouring milk slowly, into the egg mixture while whisking constantly.
• Incorporate half the milk into the eggs and then transfer the mixture back to the pot.
• Transfer pot back to the heat and keep whisking until cream thickens.
• Set cream aside while you prepare the base.
• Preheat oven to 200°C / 392°F.
• Lay open the filo stack on your working surface.
• Grease a 15x10 inch / 38x25 cm baking dish with melted butter.
• Take one filo sheet and gather it up together (to make it look wavy) to the corner of the dish. Repeat process with 4 more filo sheets to cover the whole bottom of the dish.
• Drizzle using the ⅓ of the melted butter.
• Bake filo for 5 minutes or until it gets a golden color all over on top.
• Remove from the oven and spread the cream evenly on top.
• Add the remaining filo sheets exactly the same way as you did for the base. You may tear a filo sheet apart in order to fill empty spaces.
• Drizzle remaining butter on top.
• Bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until filo looks crispy and deep golden in color.
• Set pastry aside for 10-15 minutes.
• Dust with plenty of icing sugar and cinnamon. Ready to cut and serve!

BOUGATSA

Steps:

• In a non-stick saucepan, bring the milk to a boil.
• In a Dutch oven, melt the butter and brown the semolina for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring continuously.
• Add the hot milk, sugar and the seeds of the vanilla bean.
• Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until a thick, smooth cream is obtained.
• Beat the 2 eggs and the 2 yolks and add them to the previous preparation. Mix well.
• Transfer the resulting cream to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, with the plastic wrap touching the entire surface of the cream.
• Let cool.
• Preheat the convection oven to 350 F (180°C).
• Brush a large baking dish with melted butter, then spread the first sheet of filo pastry.
• Brush butter on top and place a second sheet of pastry. Let the edges of the dough overflow outside the dish, they will then be folded back to close the bougatsa.
• To avoid overlapping the filo sheets, place the second sheet of filo dough by turning it 90 degrees then continue like this (butter, new sheet turned 90 degrees, then butter, etc.) with all the sheets, but reserve 4 for the rest and the end.
• Pour the cream over the buttered filo pastry sheets and spread over the entire surface using a spatula, then close by folding the edges of the filo pastry sheets.
• To close the bougatsa, brush the 4 reserved filo pastry sheets with butter and add them on top, folding the edges inside.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
• When it comes out of the oven, sprinkle the bougatsa with icing sugar and cinnamon powder.
• Let cool then cut it into 10 squares and serve.

BOUGATSA

Steps:

• Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese at high speed until light and fluffy.
• Lower the speed and add the ricotta, cottage cheese, 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, and the nutmeg.
• Beat for 1 minute at high speed, then set aside while you prepare the phyllo.
• Lay the phyllo flat on a table and keep covered with a damp towel over waxed paper or plastic wrap.
• By stacking 4 sheets, form a base of 15 x 18 inches, brushing the top of each sheet with melted butter as you stack them.
• Then lay 2 sheets at right angles over the center, using the "base" as a diamond, not a square, brushing the center of each with butter.
• Divide the filling into 3 parts and spread one part over the phyllo to form a 7-inch square.
• Set the rest of the filling aside.
• Fold the top phyllo sheet over the cheese and brush with butter, and continue folding the phyllo over the cheese to make a square, brushing each time with butter.
• With a wide spatula, lift the bougatsa and invert onto a cookie sheet.
• Brush the top with butter and set aside.
• Repeat with the remaining phyllo, filling until all 3 square pies are folded.
• Bake in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes or until the phyllo puffs up and turns a golden chestnut color.
• Cut into small squares and sprinkle with additional sugar.
• Serve piping hot.