Orange Custard Ruffled Filo Pie Food

GREEK RUFFLED MILK PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C. Grease a 9 and 1/2-inch round springform pan with melted butter. Line the pan with parchment paper or foil. Place the springform pan onto a baking tray. Brush each sheet of phyllo with melted butter and dust the top with cinnamon. Scrunch each phyllo layer up like an accordion or roll it loosely into a long tube. Rool the first layer of phyllo into a spiral and place it in the center of the prepared pan. Wrap the remaining 6 layers of phyllo (accordions) around the first spiral. Brush the top of the pie with the remaining butter and bake on the center rack for approximately 30 minutes or until it is golden. In the meantime make the custard: Add the eggs to a mixing bowl along with half of the sugar. Add the milk, cream, salt, and remaining sugar to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until scalding hot. Whisk together until sugar is dissolved. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until frothy. Add the scalding hot milk mixture to the eggs slowly to temper them while whisking constantly. Add the vanilla extract and whisk together. Set aside. As soon as the pan with the phyllo comes out of the oven pour the custard on top of it. Return the pan to the oven and bake on the center rack for an additional 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for an hour. Transfer to a serving dish and dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Serve with tea or coffee. Kali Orexi!

ORANGE CUSTARD RUFFLED FILO PIE

Steps:

• To prepare the simple syrup, place all ingredients in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed skillet and boil gently for about 5 minutes, or, until the syrup is reduced and you have 2 cups of orange syrup remaining. Remove from heat and let it cool completely (this can be done ahead of time).
• Preheat the oven to 350° F.
• Line two, 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans with two large sheets of parchment paper, creasing them every now and them and making sure they fit well into the bottom and up the sides of the pans. (I use clips to help them stay in place).
• Place the stack of filo sheets (13" x 18") on a cutting board, with the widest side in front of you. Each stack is about 18-20 sheets of filo. With a sharp knife, cut the stack vertically through the center. You will now have two stacks of filo, each 13" x 9". Cover one of these stacks with a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap, followed by a clean kitchen towel, and set it aside.
• Place the second stack of filo in front of you, so the 13" side is in front of you. Take one filo sheet and place it on the counter next to your cutting board. Lightly butter it with the melted butter. Place a second one on top of the first and brush it with butter as well. (Keep the rest of the stack of filo covered, as above, while you work). Using your fingers, scrunch it into a loose pleated strip. Form a loose spiral and place it in the middle of the prepared pan. Repeat this with the remaining filo sheets of the first stack, making 8 more filo spirals and placing them close and tight in the pan. Then, do the same with the second stack of filo and the second cake pan, so you have a total of 9 filo spirals in each pan.
• Brush the top of the spirals with some more butter and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until the filo is lightly brown and crisp.
• While the pans are in the oven, prepare the custard. In a large bowl, cream the sugar and the eggs. Add the oil, the baking powder, the vanilla, and the orange zest. To that mixture, fold in the yogurt and set aside (this step can also be done ahead of time).
• Remove the pans from the oven. Pour half of the orange custard mixture between the and over the spirals in the first pan and half between and over the spirals in the second pan. Return the pans to the oven and bake the rosettes for another 20 minutes, or, until the custard has set in the middle.
• Remove the pans from the oven and pour the cooled orange syrup evenly over the hot filo ruffles. Wait for at least fifteen minutes, until the filo slightly cools and the syrup is mostly absorbed before you serve.

ORANGE-VANILLA FROZEN CUSTARD

Steps:

• Whisk the cornstarch and 1/2 cup milk in a small bowl until smooth. Whisk the eggs, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan; whisk in the cornstarch mixture and the remaining 1 cup milk until smooth.
• Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring, until thick enough to coat a spoon, 7 to 8 minutes (do not boil). Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice water. Add the cream and stir until cool. Remove from the ice bath; stir in the vanilla, orange juice concentrate and orange zest. Cover and chill until cold.
• Freeze the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Scrape into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe into cups.

FILO ROLLS FILLED WITH CREAMY CUSTARD (SWEET BOUGATSA)

Steps:

• Warm the milk in a saucepan and add the orange zest. Bring to a simmer and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a medium pot. Stir in the semolina and mix with a wooden spoon until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Gradually add the orange-infused hot milk, mixing well until thoroughly blended. Next, add the sugar and stir well until the mixture is slightly thickened. Stir in the vanilla and remove from the heat. Off heat, stir the mixture occasionally to keep the custard from forming a skin. Allow the custard to cool slightly.
• Beat the eggs and egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Add to the pot and mix well to combine - the mixture should have the consistency of a pudding. Cover well with plastic wrap and set the mixture aside until ready to use (at this point you can refrigerate it for up to four days for later use).
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Open the box of filo and unwrap the sheets. Place on a work surface and cut the whole stack of filo sheets in half so that you are left with rectangular pieces, which measure approximately 9 x 13 inches.
• Lay 3 sheets of filo one on top of each other, brushing melted butter between each sheet. As you lay the sheets down, keep the shorter end facing you. Then, place about ⅓ cup of the custard mixture in the bottom center of the filo stack, approximately 1.5" from the edges. Fold the bottom edge of the filo over the custard and then fold in each of the sides, so the custard is fully covered by the filo. Flip the filo and custard over and away from you and brush the top with a little melted butter. Continue folding the strip of filo until you reach the end of your rectangle. At this point, tuck the end piece under the rest of the rolled filo and brush the top with butter. With the help of a spatula, transfer the filo roll to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until you have filled as many rolls as you want.
• Bake in middle rack of the oven for approximately 12-15 minutes or until light, golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly on a baking rack. Dust with cinnamon and powdered sugar and enjoy while still a little warm.