The first time I went to Greece as a married woman, one of the pites (pies) my mother in law had prepared for us was her famous galatopita. Galatopita means milk pie. It is a sweet dessert pie that is made with milk custard and a semolina base. Regionally, it can be made with or without a phyllo crust. Most Greek custard desserts are semolina custards.
So how can I make this grain free, and sugar free? I opted to omit the semolina completely and bake this as I would bake a standard custard filling in any other pie, but without a crust. The result is silky, yet firm milk pie that you can pick up with your hand. No forks required!
In Greece, this week marks the final week before Lent begins. It is called Tirini, which means the week of cheeses and other dairy products. Home chefs will make a variety of dairy based dishes like a tiropita, of galatopita, galaktoboureko, trahanopita. My fathers cousin usually brings him sheep’s milk from one of his ewes in the village for my mother to create something wonderful! You can create your own simple cheese, yogurt, or any dessert from it.
During the Great Lent, Greek Orthodox Christians traditionally abstain from all animal products until Easter.
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup of sweetener (I use 1/4 tsp pure powdered monk fruit & 1 tbsp yacon syrup)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Mix all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl, starting with the eggs. Pour into a well buttered pie pan & bake for 50 minutes. You want a slightly golden crust to form.
Remove from the oven and allow it to come to room temperature. Store it in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
Slice it up & serve with a dusting of cinnamon and a light drizzle of honey if you like. It has a lovely smooth texture that you will enjoy!
Kali Oreksi!
