Ekmek Kataifi Recipe – Custard with Whipped Cream and Pastry Recipe

Written by Greek Boston in Authentic Greek Food Recipes, Greek Desserts Recipes, Greek Pastry and Greek Cake Recipes Comments Off on Ekmek Kataifi Recipe – Custard with Whipped Cream and Pastry Recipe

This whipped custard dessert isn’t as common as some of the other Greek pastries are, such as baklava and koulourakia. However, it does have a special place in the cuisine and culture. With this dessert, Kataifi pastry is baked until crispy, and then topped with the creamy custard topping.

Greek Custard with Whipped Cream and Pastry (Ekmek Kataifi) Recipe Ingredients:

For the Kataifi pastry base:

• 12 ounces Kataifi pastry
• 3/4 cup butter (a stick and a half), melted

For the syrup:

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 1 cinnamon stick

For the custard:

• 6 cups whole milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the whipped cream:

• 16 ounces heavy whipping cream

For the garnish (optional):

• 3 tablespoons chopped almonds, pistachios, or walnuts
• Ground cinnamon

How to Bake Greek Custard with Whipped Cream and Pastry (Ekmek Kataifi):

For the pastry:

Preheat the oven to 35o Degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 x 13 with nonstick cooking spray.

Unroll the Kataifi pastry. Separate the dough with your fingers so that each strand is unknotted.

Spread the pastry over the pan. Drizzle with the melted butter.

Please the pan in the center of the oven and bake until crispy and golden brown. This should take about 30-35 minutes depending on your oven. 

For the syrup:

While the pastry is cooking, prepare the syrup.

Pour the water into medium saucepan. Add the sugar, orange peel, and cinnamon stick. Bring the mixture to a boil uncovered, and then bring it down to a simmer for about twenty minutes. Remove from heat.

Remove the pastry from the oven after it is golden brown. Immediately pour the syrup over it and set aside.

Prepare the custard while the Kataifi and syrup mixture cool down.

For the custard:

Add the milk, lemon peel, and vanilla extract to a clean, medium-sized saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium, stirring occasionally.

While the milk mixture is heating, beat together the egg yokes and sugar using an electric mixer set on medium. Do this until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Add the corn starch and flour and beat for another minute until the ingredients are well combined.

Keep heating the milk just until it looks about ready to boil. This should take about ten minutes. When this happens, remove it form the heat. Using a ladle, pour about 1/3 cup of the milk mixture into the bowl with the egg and sugar mixture. Beat until combined. Add another ladleful of the milk. Beat again until well combined. Repeat until all the milk mixture is gone.

Transfer this mixture back to the pot. Heat on low until the mixture thickens to a nice custard.

When it does, pour the custard over the pastry and syrup mixture. Let the custard cool to room temperature and then place it in the refrigerator.

For the whipped cream:

When you are ready to serve the dessert, prepare the whipped cream. Pour the cream into a mixing bowl. Beat on high heat until fluffy. Pour over the custard mixture and garnish with cinnamon or chopped nuts.

**Please Note:  Recommended cook times for GreekBoston.com Greek recipes vary depending on elevation, environmental conditions, the cookware being used, and the nature of the oven or stove. Although we have given approximations, these don’t always take into account your unique environment.

Categorized in: Authentic Greek Food Recipes, Greek Desserts Recipes, Greek Pastry and Greek Cake Recipes

This post was written by Greek Boston