Bake it at home: Niki Louca’s classic Bougatsa (Custad Parcels)

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Niki Louca from My Greek Kitchen shares her favourite recipe for Bougatsa (Custard Parcels) with The Greek Herald. You can follow her on Instagram @mygreekkitchen for more!

Ingredients

  • 1 litre full cream milk
  • 1 slice peel from a lemon
  • 200g sugar
  • 120g fine semolina
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla paste
  • 50g cold butter
  • 1 packet filo pastry
  • approx.  extra 1/2 cup butter melted
  • icing sugar and cinnamon to dust

Method:

  1. Heat milk and sugar together till sugar has dissolved.  Lightly whisk your egg yolks in a small bowl with a fork, and add to the milk/sugar mixture.  Slowly add the semolina and whisk continuously till mixture starts to thicken.  Do not walk away from it. 
  2. Remove from heat and add the vanilla paste, lemon zest and cold butter.  Mix till butter melts.
  3. Pour into a shallow dish/tray and allow it to cool down completely.  Cover it with glad wrap to stop skin forming.
  4. To make individual parcels, you will need 2 sheets of pastry one top of the other, brushing each generously with butter between each layer.
  5. Lay the 2 buttered sheets flat on top of each other, lengthwise, and spoon 2 tbsp. of the mixture on the middle of the sheets, end closest to you.  Fold each of the sides in towards the custard, as to create and envelope, and roll all the way to seal the parcel.
  6. Repeat process until all sheets are used. 
  7. Place little parcels into a baking dish brushed with butter and bake at 180C until golden brown.
  8. Dust with icing sugar and cinnamon – serve warm.

Niki Louca runs cooking classes in Melbourne. For more or to book classes visit My Greek Kitchen at www.mygreekkitchen.com.au or Instagram @mygreekkitchen. You can email Niki at: niki@mygreekkitchen.com.au.

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