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.
I have also had the version made with flour instead of semolina. Both are delicious and different from eachother. My mother in law made one with flour that is regional to Trikala in Thessalia. We will explore that one another time. The semolina galatopita is common across Greece.
This recipe make a 9×13 pan or two standard pie tins. I will sometimes make two pie tins and give one to friends.
Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup semolina
4 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
Salt
Vanilla
Lemon zest
Directions:
Warm up the milk & sugar in a medium pot. In a separate bowl, whisk the rest of the I ingredients together. When the milk comes to a simmer, temper the egg mixture with it. Add the warmed egg mixture into the rest of the milk continuously stirring until it thickens into a cream while you bring it to a low boil. Once thickened and creamy, add the cold butter. Let it melt and stir it through.
Butter a 9X13 pan. Then coat it with semolina to create a crust. Pour the warm cream mixture and spread it evenly throughout the pan.
To make the glaze, mix an egg, a tbsp of sugar, and 3 tablespoons of water. Gently pour that on top and brush to spread it evenly.
Bake at 350 F for 1 hour. The top will be a beautiful golden color.
Let it come to room temperature and then refrigerate it to cool.
You can serve it with cinnamon, powdered sugar, or honey.
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