Custard Pie is a favorite dessert in Turkey, Syria, and Greece, and it’s one of my top picks because it’s so unique! Imagine a creamy custard filling instead of nuts, wrapped in a crispy, buttery pastry like baklava. It’s perfectly sweet and surprisingly easy to make!
Let’s start with the syrup that will make our custard pie even more delicious. If you love Middle Eastern desserts, you know how crucial simple syrup is. Many sweets, like baklava and kanafeh, are soaked in it. Simple syrup is just a 2-to-1 mix of sugar and water simmered until the sugar dissolves. Super easy!
In a pot over medium heat, add water, sugar, a cinnamon stick, a splash of orange blossom water, and a squeeze of lemon juice. You can stick to just sugar and water, but the extra ingredients add a nice floral touch to balance the sweetness. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Once it’s ready, pour it into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature. This syrup will be the finishing touch on our amazing dessert.
Greek Custard Pie
Ingredients
**Custard:**
- – 2 cups whole milk
- – 2 cups heavy cream
- – 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- – 1/4 teaspoon salt
- – 1/2 cup white sugar
- – 1/2 cup fine semolina
- – 1/3 cup cornstarch
- – 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- – 4 eggs
- – 1/3 cup granulated sugar
**Phyllo:**
- – 1 package phyllo dough
- – 1 cup unsalted butter melted
**Syrup:**
- – 3/4 cup water
- – 1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
- – 1 teaspoon orange blossom water
- – 1 cinnamon stick
- – Squeeze of lemon juice
**Garnish:**
- – Chopped pistachios
- – Dried rose petals
Instructions
**Make the Syrup:**
- While the custard cools, make the simple syrup. In a pot over medium heat, combine water, sugar, and orange blossom water.
- Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl and let it cool to room temperature to thicken.
**Make the Custard:**
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1/3 cup sugar until lighter in color. Set aside.
- In a pot over medium heat, add heavy cream, milk, sugar, salt, cornstarch, semolina, and vanilla extract.
- Whisk continuously and bring to a boil. Once it starts bubbling, lower the heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until it thickens.
- Remove from heat and stir in the butter.
- Slowly mix a bit of the hot custard into the egg mixture to temper the eggs, then combine all the custard and mix until smooth.
**Assembly and Bake:**
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Take out the phyllo sheets and cover them with a damp towel to keep them from drying out.
- Brush the bottom of a 9×13 tray with melted butter. Add a phyllo sheet, letting the sides hang over the edges of the pan.
- Brush the phyllo sheet with butter and add another sheet on top. Repeat until you have 9 to 10 sheets stacked.
- Pour the custard on top of the phyllo sheets, then repeat the butter and phyllo layering until you have another 9 to 10 layers.
- Cut the assembled pie into 12 equal pieces with a sharp knife.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is golden and crispy.
- Remove from the oven and immediately pour the simple syrup over the top. Use as much or as little as you like.
- Garnish with chopped pistachios and rose petals.
- Let the syrup soak in for at least an hour before enjoying!