Galaktoboureko is a famous Greek dessert. It’s a custard pie with phyllo dough drenched with a lemon and orange infused syrup.

Ingredients:
– 1 pound phyllo pastry sheets
– 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
– 6 cups milk
– 1 1/4 cups fine semolina
– 6 egg yolks
– 1 1/2 cup sugar
– 1 tbsp vanilla extract
– 1 cup water
– lemon and orange zest
– juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions:
1. To make the custard, heat the milk in a large saucepan, add the semolina and stir with a whisk. Lower the heat to medium-low. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl, add a cup of warm milk into the egg mixture. Then add the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan. Continue to cook over medium-low heat until the cream starts to thicken, stirring continuously. Stir in the vanilla extract and 1/2 stick butter
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
3. Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom and sides of a 9 x 12-inch rectangular pan with melted butter. Begin by layering sheets one by one in the bottom of the pan, making sure to brush each one thoroughly with melted butter. Add the custard. Then add the remaining sheets on top, brushing each sheet with melted butter. Bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the phyllo turns a deep golden color.
4. To make the syrup, combine 1 cup sugar and water in a saucepan and mix together. Add lemon and orange zest and boil over medium-high heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the lemon and orange peel and stir in the lemon juice. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once cooled to room temperature, carefully pour the syrup over the galaktoboureko (has to be cooled as well).
5. Serve the same day. Once refrigerated, the custard loses its texture.