Desserts
Baklava
Baklava, the most famous Greek dessert, is made with nuts, spices, butter, and phyllo pastry.
Ingredients
1 pound (4 cups) blanched almonds or walnuts or a combination of both, finely chopped
3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 pound phyllo pastry
3 sticks (3/4 pound) unsalted butter, melted, for brushing phyllo
Syrup
2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
one 2-inch strip of lemon rind
3/4 cup honey
Preparation
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Combine nuts, sugar, and cinnamon. Keeping unused sheets covered with plastic wrap, place 8 sheets of phyllo pastry, one at a time, in bottom of an 8 x 14 x 2-inch pan, brushing each sheet with melted butter. Sprinkle top sheet generously with 1/4 cup nut mixture and cover with 2 buttered phyllo sheets. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup nut mixture. Continue adding buttered phyllo sheets, sprinkling every second sheet with nut mixture, until all nut mixture is used. Place remaining phyllo sheets on top, buttering each sheet.
Cut Baklava into small diamond-shaped pieces with a sharp knife. Place a pan of water on the lowest shelf in oven. Place Baklava on middle shelf above the water and bake for 2 to 21/2 hours, or until golden, making sure that the water pan is always full.
While Baklava is in the oven, prepare the syrup:
Combine in a saucepan water with all ingredients except honey. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add honey, and simmer 5 minutes more. Remove lemon peel and cool.
Remove Baklava from oven and pour cool syrup over hot pastry.
Note: Can be prepared and frozen, unbaked. When ready to use, bake, unthawed, in a 300-degree oven for 3 to 31/2 hours, or until golden.
Optional: The top of each Baklava piece can be studded with a single clove for decoration and flavor. (You don't eat the clove.)
Yield 30 to 36 pieces.
Koulourakia
Koulourakia are butter cookies made in various shapes - little circles, small braids, tiny coils, figure eights, etc. The recipe makes a large amount, but the cookies keep well (if you have a good hiding place.)
Ingredients
4 sticks (1 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 to 9 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons double-acting baking powder
1 egg beaten with
1 tablespoon water
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream butter and gradually beat in sugar. Beat eggs until light; add to butter mixture and beat thoroughly. Add vanilla extract. Sift together flour and baking powder. Carefully blend into butter-egg mixture to make a soft dough. Shape dough with lightly floured hands into desired shapes and arrange on ungreased cookie sheets. Brush with beaten egg and water. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on racks.
Yield 8 to 10 dozen small cookies.
Easy Koulourakia
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs (reserve one yolk for glaze
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
finely grated rind from an orange
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon of fresh squeezed orange or lemon
sesame seeds
Preparation
Cream butter. Add sugar gradually and cream together thoroughly. Add eggs, reserving one yolk for glaze. Beat well. Blend in juice, vanilla, and grated rind. Stir in dry ingredients. Knead well until dough is smooth and does not stick to your fingers. Pinch off pieces and roll on board lightly by hand to desired length. Fold in half and make into braided twiests. Place on cookie sheet. Add a few drops of cold water to egg yolk and beat. Brush tops of koulourakia with yolk mixture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Place on cookie rack to cool. Store in airtight container.
Yield
4 dozen - coffee dipping size
Notes
Optional: You may wish to add a little sugar and cinnamon to the sesame seed sprinkle for topping.
Karidopita
Ingredients
12 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups finely chopped walnuts
3 cups finely chopped blanched almonds
16 pieces zwieback, crushed fine
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
RUM SYRUP
2 cups sugar
4 1/2 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
1 lemon slice
1/2 cup light rum
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, beat egg whites untill stiff. In another bowl, beat yolks with sugar until thick and pale in color. Beat in vanilla extract. In another bowl, mix together nuts, zwieback, and orange peel. Gradually fold beaten egg whites into yolk mixture and fold in nut mixture. Pour butter into a greased 16x13x3-inch pan and bake for 1 hour, or until cake tester comes out clean.
While cake is baking, make the syrup:
In a saucepan, combine sugar, water, cinnamon, and lemon. Bring to a boil, and simmer until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in rum.
Immediately pour hot syrup over hot cake. Cover with aluminum foil. After cake has cooled completely, cut into diamond-shaped pieces.
Note:
Cake can be frozen, once it has been cut. Serve at room temperature.Note:
This recipe can be halved and baked in a 13x9x2-inch pan.Variation:
Use all walnuts or all almonds, if desired. Yield 48 servings.
Melachrino Xantho
Ingredients
2 sticks (1/2 pund) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
6 egg yolks (use whites for meringue, below)
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1 tablespoon congac
1/4 cup milk
Meringue
6 egg whites
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
4 cups chopped walnuts
Syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter until light and gradually beat in sugar. Beat eggs and egg yolks until light; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in grated lemon peel. Sift together flour and baking powder and stir into egg mixture alternately with cognac and milk. Butter a 10x14x2-inch pan; pour butter into pan and bake about 40 minutes, or until cake tests done. Remove from oven and cool in pan. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees.
While cake is cooling, prepare meringue:
Beat egg whites until they stand in soft peaks. Gradually beat in sugar, continuing to beat until meringue is glossy. Add lemon juice, and fold in chopped nuts.
Spread meringue-nut mixture over coolded cake. Return to oven, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until meringue is browned. Cool cake.
While cake is cooling, prepare syrup:
Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and simmer 10 minutes.
When the cake is cool, pour hot syrup over it, cover with aluminum foil, and let stand until cool. Cut into 2-inch squares to serve.
Note
: This cake is best if made 3 or 4 days in advance of serving. Cover with plaastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate. Remove threee hours before serving and bring to room temperature. Yield 30 to 35 servings.
Galaktoboureko
Cool custard covered with phyllo pastry. This particular recipe is made with orange.
Ingredients
4 cups milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 1 stick (1/4 pound) unsalted butter, melted, for brushing phyllo
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup uncooked regular farina
4 eggs
3 tablespoons orange juice concetrate, undiluted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 pound phyllo pastry
Orange Syrup
1 cup water
11/2 cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
Preparation
Scald milk in a large saucepan; stir in 4 tablespoons butter and sugar. Gradually add farina, stirring constantly, and bring mixture slowly to a boil. Remove from heat.
Beat eggs in a bowl until they are frothy and lemon-colored. Slowly stir hot farina mixture into egg mixture. Add orange juice concentrate and vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a 9 x 12-inch baking pan with 1 sheet of phyllo (some of which should hang over the pan) an dbrush with butter (keep unused phyllo covered with plastic wrap. Layer 5 more sheets of buttered phyllo in the pan so that bottom and sides are completely covered, with some overhang on all edges. Pour in cooled custard. Cover with 1 sheet of phyllo; brush with butter. Layer 5 more individually buttered sheets of phyllo on top, and fold in overhang. With a sharp knife, slice through top layers of phyllo, marking off 21/4-inch squares or diamond shapes. Bake for 10 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden.
While pastry bakes, prepare the syrup:
Place ingredients in a large saucepan, bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool. Place pastry pan on a rack and cool for 5 minutes. Pour cooled orange syrup over galaktoboureko. Cut all the way through and serve at room temperature. Yield 2 dozen.
Galaktoboureko Metaxa
Ingredients
For the pie:
6 Cups Milk
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Metaxa Brandy
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
5 Eggs
1/2 Cup Semolina
Olive Oil
Phyllo Pastry - 9 Sheets
For the sauce:
1 Cup spring water
1 Cup Metaxa Brandy
3 1/2 Cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Honey
Juice and peel of one large lemon
Preparation
Combine the milk and sugar in a
deep sauce pan. Heat over medium until just below a simmer - 165 deg. F. Add the
Metaxa brandy, butter and vanilla extract. Remove the mixture from the stove.
Whisking continuously add the eggs one at a time.
Stir in the semolina and return the pan to the stove and cook over medium heat
until the custard becomes very thick. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Oil a pie pan very liberally. Line
the pie pan with one sheet of phyllo, pressing into the bottom and sides, and
trim so that about one inch hangs over the pan's rim.
Thoroughly oil the phyllo lining. Place another 5 sheets of phyllo pastry atop
the liner and lightly oil. Also trim so that about one inch hangs over the pan's
rim.
Fold the cooked custard into the phyllo lined dish. Smooth the filling and rap
the pan lightly to settle.
Cover the filling with 3 sheets of phyllo trimmed so that about one inch hangs
over the pan's rim.
Press the cover pastry onto the filling. Gather the pastry hanging over the rim
and rolling it toward the pan, fold it inside around the sides of the pan.
Brush the dough with a little olive oil and bake at 350 deg. F. for about 30
minutes.
Make the brandy sauce: Combine the
spring water, 1 cup of Metaxa and 3 1/2 cups of sugar, 2 tablespoons of honey
and the juice and peel of one lemon into a saucepan.
Bring to boil. Maintain a light boil for about 10 minutes until reduced to a
light syrup that will coat the back of spoon. Remove from the stove, strain and
keep warm.
Remove the pie from the oven when
the pastry top has reached a light golden brown. Pour 1 cup of the brandy sauce
over the pie.
Place the pie into a refrigerator until chilled completely through.
Cut the pie into individual serving portions. Reheat the sauce until just warm. Serve each dessert with about 1 tablespoon of sauce.
Note:This is a wonderfully rich version of Galaktoboureko. Yield 24 servings.
Ravani
Ingredients
5 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup milk
1 sachet or 2 tsp baking powder
a few drops of vanilla essence
For the syrup:
2 1/2 cups of water
2 1/2 cups of sugar
cinnamon
Preparation
We beat up with the mixer the eggs
with the sugar for about 5-6 mins until they become a thick substance. Then we
add one by one the rest of the ingredients and we continue to beat up until we
have a smooth - not very thick dough.
We spread some butter in a baking tray, we put the dough in the baking tray and
we put it in the ovenfor 45 mins approx. (150-175C, Gas mark 6) until it becomes
brown on the top.
Then, we let it cool down while we prepare the syrup. We put the water, the
sugar and the cinnamon in a pan and we let them come to the boil. We let them
boil for about 5 mins or until the syrup starts thickening. We take the pan of
the hob and we soak the "ravani" with the syrup, making sure that it
covers the whole sponge.
we springle some more dessicated coconut on the top and we let it cool down
before we serve it.
Useful Tips:
1) NEVER EVER open the oven during the baking period.
2) when the baking period is over and you want to check if your "Ravani"
is properly baked, penetrate it with a toothstick or a knife and if it is clear
when you take it out, then it is OK. If you see row dough on it, then it means
that it needs more baking.
3) In order to put the syrup on there must be different temperatures. This means
that the sponge must be cold and the syrup hot or vice versa. NEVER put hot
syrup on a hot sponge or cold syrup on a cold sponge. Yield Not specified.
Rum Nut Cake Diamonds
makes 3 dozen
: Combine in a saucepanRum Syrup
1 cup sugar,
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/3 cup water
Bring to a boil and boil until clear. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup rum.
6 eggs, separated
1/8 teaspoon each salt and cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
2-1/2 cups ground almonds
Preheat the oven to 350°F. First prepare the rum syrup and let cool. Beat the egg whites until foamy; add the salt and cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/2 cup of the sugar, eating until the meringue stands in peaks; set aside. With the same beater, beat the egg yolks until pale yellow and gradually beat in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until thick and lemon colored. Beat in the extract. Mix the crumbs with the baking powder and grated peel and beat into the yolks. Mix in half the nuts. Fold in the egg white meringue and remaining nuts. Turn into a buttered, floured 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the top springs back when touched. Let cool 5 minutes. While hot, pour over the cool syrup. Let cool and cut into diamonds.