Bougatsa

Ingredients

• 9 1/2 ozfilo pastry, thawed, kept under a damp cloth
• 3 1/8 cupswhole milk
• 3 1/4 ozfine semolina
• 3 1/2 ozcaster sugar
• 2eggs
• 3 1/2 ozunsalted butter, melted
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 1lemon, zest pared off in wide strips
• 2 tbspicing sugar, to dust
• 1 tspground cinnamon, to dust

Method

1. 1

   Bring the milk, sugar and pared lemon zest to a bare simmer in a heavy pan, then fish out the zest.

2. 2

   Whisking constantly, pour the semolina into the hot milk in a thin stream and keep whisking until it thickens to the consistency of a loose porridge and starts to pull from the sides of the pan.

3. 3

   Off the heat, beat in the eggs one at a time — the pan must be off the flame or they will scramble — then the vanilla. Press a sheet of baking paper onto the surface and let it cool while you deal with the pastry.

4. 4

   Heat the oven to 350°F. Brush a baking tin with melted butter and lay in half the filo sheets one at a time, buttering each and letting the edges overhang.

5. 5

   Spread the cooled custard over the pastry, fold the overhang in, then top with the remaining buttered sheets and tuck them down the sides. Score the top into squares and bake until deeply golden and crisp.

6. 6

   Let it settle for ten minutes, then dust heavily with icing sugar and cinnamon and cut through the scored lines.