I have tried many recipes for a good galaktoboureko, this is the best one – once you use this recipe you will never use another.

Ingredients:
Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup of honey
2 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
10 drops lemon juice
one ribbon of lemon peel
Put all these ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil for about 15 minutes, put aside and cool. It is important that the syrup is cold when adding to the hot baked galaktoboureko.

Filling
1.3 litres of milk
240 grams rice flour
320 grams sugar
4 egg yolks
3 whole eggs
lemon zest

Method:
1. Heat oven to 180°C.
2. Put 1 litre of milk in a saucepan with sugar and scald, take off flame.
3. Combine the rice flour and the remaining 300 grams of cold milk and blend with a spoon till all the rice and milk has become one and thick, making sure there are no remaining lumps.
4. On a very low heat add the rice flour mixture slowly to the hot milk, stirring vigorously so as not to lump.
5. When smooth and thick remove from heat, put aside and cover with a clean tea towel to prevent a film forming on top.
6. In a separate bowl, put in egg yolks and whole eggs and beat till all are one.
7. Add the zest to the milk mixture.
8. Add the egg mixture slowly to the milk mixture stirring all the time so eggs don’t have time to cook.
8. Cover with tea towel again.

Layering

Ingredients:
16 sheets of filo, left out of the fridge about an hour earlier
200 grams butter, melted

Method:
1. Grease a 23cm x 23cm and 7cm deep square pan.
2. Lay one sheet of filo and brush with butter.
3. Do this with eight sheets of filo, tucking each filo into the corners of the pan.
4. Pour cream mixture on top of these layers of filo.
5. Do the same with the top layers. Lay eight sheets of filo, brushing each one with butter.
6. Trim the edges of the filo and tuck the remaining inwards.
7. Cut the top layers in diamond shapes, into serving size.
8. Sprinkle with water.
9. Bake for 45 minutes; remove from oven.
10.Pour cooled syrup on top, a cup at a time, giving each cup time to be absorbed.
11. Allow the galaktoboureko to cool for 3-4 hours before serving.

Note: Never cover a galoktoboureko and never refrigerate as it goes soggy.